Steppenwolf Taps Tracy Letts to Star in American Buffalo; William Petersen in Endgame

Now that he’s won a Tony and Pulitzer Prize for writing August: Osage County, Tracy Letts is getting back to his other career, acting: Letts has signed on to star in David Mamet’s American Buffalo in December at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company, directed by the Tony-nominated star of August, Amy Morton. Also on tap next season at Steppenwolf is a revival of Samuel Beckett’s Endgame starring C.S.I. alum William Petersen and a trio of August players Ian Barford, Francis Guinan and Tony winner Rondi Reed, directed by Frank Galati.

A total of five productions were announced for Steppenwolf’s 2009-2010 subscription season:

Fake, a new play written and directed by Eric Simonson, starring Kate Arringon, Francis Guinan and Alan Wilder
September 10-November 8
In 1914, renowned mystery writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle invites four guests to his English country home. Each visitor has a connection to the infamous “Piltdown Man,” purported to be the missing link between ape and man, later exposed as a hoax. Swinging back and forth through time, Fake investigates how “Piltdown” rattled assumptions about evolution, faith and science and how we are transformed by our quest for the truth.

American Buffalo by David Mamet, directed by Amy Morton and starring Tracy Letts and Francis Guinan
December 3-February 7, 2010
In a cluttered, run-down Chicago junk shop, three small-time crooks plot to steal a valuable buffalo nickel. As the heist unravels, the men’s frustration and paranoia intensify.

The Brother/Sister Plays: In the Red and Brown Water, The Brothers Size and Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet by Tarell Alvin McCraney, directed by Tina Landau and starring Alana Arenas and Jon Michael Hill
January 21-May 23, 2010
On the banks of a steamy bayou, the tiny community of San Pere, Louisiana springs to life with stories of love, sexuality and coming-of-age. Influenced by lively Afro-Caribbean folklore, The Brother/Sister Plays explore the struggles that arise when the quest for self identity is at odds with community values.

Endgame by Samuel Beckett, directed by Frank Galati and starring Ian Barford, Francis Guinan, William Petersen and Rondi Reed
April 1-June 6, 2010
Beckett’s comic masterpiece follows Hamm, a blind man unable to stand, and his servant Clov, who is unable to sit, as they pass their days in a tiny house by the sea—if the sea still exists. Pestered by Hamm’s parents, they move through their daily rituals, awaiting the end of everything. A powerful all-ensemble cast anchors this profound exploration of the stories we construct to make sense of our lives.

A Parallelogram, a new play by Bruce Norris, directed by Anna D. Shapiro and starring Kate Arrington
July 1-August 29, 2010
If you knew your fate, would you accept it? Or try to change it? Bee is a young woman who believes she has an uncanny ability to see the future, and maybe even alter it. This world premiere dark comedy tells the story of a woman bent on reinventing her own destiny—and possibly the world.