Steppenwolf has announced the Spring 2018 LookOut series of events — short runs ancillary to the main performance season that feature artists and companies across genre and form.

Spring highlights Include “Good Evening with Pat Whalen,” Haven Theatre’s Remount of WE’RE GONNA DIE, a Special Women’s History Month Edition of SHADE: An ACTUALLY Diverse Comedy Show, B.A.P.S. Comedy, Our Perspective: Asian American Play Readings, and more. Visiting company The Yard will bring their production of “columbinus,” by the United States Theatre Project, written by Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli, directed by Mechelle Moe, and performed by The Yard’s 18 young-person based Ensemble. “columbinus” is a docu-drama that “probes the psychological warfare of alienation, hostility and social pressure that goes on in high schools across America.”

Tickets to Spring LookOut programming go on sale Friday, February 16 at 11 am at steppenwolf.org. LookOut performances take place in Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, an 80-seat cabaret-style space connected to Steppenwolf’s Front Bar.

The LookOut Spring 2018 Lineup (from the press release):

SHADE: An ACTUALLY Diverse Comedy Show Presents
WOKE WOMEN
Friday, March 23
8pm
$15
Just in time for women’s history month, join Chicago’s best women and LGBTQIA comedians for a fun night celebrating the impending dismantling of the patriarchy. #TimesUp #DrinkUp.

Let’s be frank: Comedy has a ways to go when it comes to making space for diverse voices and bodies. Across the country, there are strong, vibrant, and hilarious stand-up comics striving to break into the conversation. SHADE: An ACTUALLY Diverse Comedy Show is a showcase of standups of color and LGBTQI comedians. All are welcome, Shade is mandatory.

Featuring Sonal Aggarwal, Whitney Wasson, and Collier Free. Hosted and Produced by Colette Gregory.

Haven Theatre Presents
WE’RE GONNA DIE
By Young Jean Lee
Directed by Josh Sobel
Monday Nights, March 26 – April 16
8pm
$18
A singer takes the stage, backed by her rock-band compatriots, to share Young Jean Lee’s life-affirming show about the one thing we all have in common: “we’re gonna die.” Drawing from true stories of people’s experiences with tragedy, despair and loneliness, this personal and rejuvenating play with live music reminds us that in our darkest, most isolated moments, we are not alone. Named one of the best of last year by the Chicago Tribune, Time Out Chicago, Newcity Stage and Rescripted, Haven Theatre is thrilled to blow the roof off and melt some faces once again with Young Jean Lee’s life- and humanity-affirming rock concert event, WE’RE GONNA DIE!

“Tender” and “head-thrashing” (Chicago Reader), “badass” and “visceral” (TimeOut Chicago), and with “a lot of soul” (Chicago Tribune), We’re Gonna Die is a full-voiced reminder while our world is in crisis that even in our most trying, tumultuous and isolating moments, we are not alone.

Malcolm London: The Right Away Series
Sunday, April 1; Tuesday, April 3 and
Wednesday, April 4
8pm
$25
Malcolm London comes to Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre to close out his Right Away Series music tour. London calls this project “a note on self-discovery; a compilation of love poems, political commentary & emotional turmoil.” Join us for a night at the intersection of music, poems & social justice.

Malcolm London, called the Gil Scott-Heron of this generation by Cornel West, is an internationally recognized Chicago poet, activist, educator and musician. London brings vim and vigor to his energetic performances tackling tough contemporary issues head on.

Good Evening with Pat Whalen
Friday, April 6
9pm
$10
Join Chicago’s only late-night talk-show news-alternative for its triumphant return to Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre for an evening of live music, performances, interviews, and prizes. Get your tickets early for what many smart people are telling us is sure to be the #BESTEVENINGEVER!

Good Evening with Pat Whalen has been Chicago’s only late-night talk-show news-alternative for over three years. Combining civic and state-wide issues with the comedic format of late-night, Pat has interviewed some of the city’s movers and/or shakers, including: Debra Shore at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, Illinois comptroller Susana Mendoza, gubernatorial candidate and State Senator Daniel Biss, journalists Amanda Vinicky and Paris Schutz, candidate for lieutenant governor Ra Joy, Alderman Scott Waguespack, State Representative Will Guzzardi, and more.

On top of that, Good Evening has hosted some of the city’s most talented up-and-coming musical acts and entertainers; Ric Wilson, White Mystery, Mother Nature, Freesole Chicago, Avantist, Odinaka Ezeokoli, Meghana Indurti, Dewayne Perkins, Sarah Squirm, and many more.

Along with monologue jokes, characters, desk bits, interactive games, giveaways and prizes, Pat and his team strive to leave their audience entertained, educated, and engaged – the ideal trifecta otherwise known as the Best Evening Ever (#besteveningever)!

NOW THAT WE’RE MEN
Written and Directed by Katie Cappiello
Tuesday, April 10 at 7pm
Wednesday, April 11 at 7pm
Thursday, April 12 at 1pm
Thursday, April 12 at 7pm
$25 General, $15 Students
In the weeks leading up to prom, the close friendships of five high school guys are put to the test…’cause Andrew must be gay, Marcus knocked up his girl, Derek’s falling in love, Nick is a little too addicted to fetish porn, and Evan pushed a hook-up too far and downed a bottle of pills.

Born from conversations with teenage boys, Now That We’re Men lays bare what’s happening in high schools across the country. Their unfiltered stories – of consent, power, porn, manning up and getting laid – come straight from the mouths of these guys, as they are figuring out what it means to be a man.

NOW THAT WE’RE MEN has been performed in theaters and high schools across the northeast, including Dixon Place, LaTea, The Brooklyn Museum, Phillips Andover Academy, St. Francis College, Nassau Community College and Choate Rosemary Hall. The show is now making its Chicago debut as part of Steppenwolf’s LookOut Series. Working alongside public, private and charter schools in the Chicago area, over 50% of the tickets have been provided for free to local students. The performances will run in conjunction with The Harold Washington Public Library’s Teen Lit Fest. On Saturday, April 14th, the teen cast ofNOW THAT WE’RE MEN will be hosting a panel at the Lit Fest to discuss masculinity, consent, sexual assault and adolescence to extend the #MeToo/#TimesUp conversation to the generation who needs it most: teens.

Radio Man: The Story of Band Called Catch
Saturday, April 14
8pm
$18
“Radioman” explores the journey of a great band that never became great. Join Tim Frank and the band for an evening of laughs, thoughts, claps, and sips at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre.

The style of Band Called Catch’s music is as eclectic as the subject matter of the songs. Blending Folk, Americana, Rock, and more as they explore childhood, risks, politics, temptation, love, and everything in between. BCC has released 4 records over the years with the latest record “we all look the same” just being released in January of 2018. Featuring: Tim Frank, Jess Lyons, David Langley, Tim Koelling, & Darcy Wood

The Yard Presents
“columbinus”
A LookOut Visiting Company
by the United States Theatre Project
Written by Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli
Dramaturgy by Patricia Hersch
Conceived by PJ Paparelli
Directed by Mechelle Moe

Thursday, May 3 – Saturday, May 26
5/3, 5/4 @8pm; 5/5 @4pm & 8pm;
5/9, 5/10, 5/11, 5/17, 5/18 @8pm; 5/19 4pm & 8pm;
5/23, 5/24, 5/25 @8pm; 5/26 @4pm & 8pm

Full price: $25
Students: $10 (1 ticket per ID)
Industry: $15
Seniors: $20
Groups of 10+: $20
“columbinus,” a docu-drama, explores the cultural and personal pathologies that gave rise to the horrific events in Littleton, Colorado in 1999, when two students went on a shooting rampage at Columbine High School, killing a dozen students and a teacher before killing themselves.

This examination of the ecosphere of the average American high school presents an anonymous portrait of high school life in the fictionalized first act, before focusing in detail on the devastating events at Columbine in the second. “columbinus” probes the psychological warfare of alienation, hostility, and social pressure that goes on in high schools across America.

Created by The United States Theatre Project, written by Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli, with dramaturgy by Patricia Hersch, and conceived and directed by PJ Paparelli, “columbinus” weaves together excerpts from discussions with parents, survivors and community leaders in Littleton as well as diaries and home video footage to bring to light the dark recesses of American adolescence. In the wake of our most recent school shooting at Marshall County High School in Kentucky, our country’s eleventh in the infant stages of 2018, The Yard’s 18 young-person based Ensemble teams with Steppenwolf’s LookOut Series to explore an epidemic that continues to plague our society at continually alarming rate.

The Yard, a professional youth theatre company founded in 2015 by Mechelle Moe and Joel Ewing, is committed to producing theatre that is relevant to young people and performed by young people. Originally a collective of Senn Arts Magnet High School students, The Yard partners with established theatre companies to create professional theatrical experiences that immerse students in every aspect of the Chicago storefront theatre-making process.

The Best Band Ever Band
Monday, May 7
8pm
$10
Erik and Jessie and Everyone You Know proudly
presents: The Best of the Best Band Ever Band. Everyone’s favorite house band performs some of the best material from the past year of Variety Shows with special guests.

About Erik and Jessie and Everyone You Know: For nearly a century, American entertainment was built on the back of the variety show. Our’s borrows heavily from the musical variety shows of the 70’s. It’s a little Sonny and Cher and a little Fozzie the Bear. We start with a killer seven-piece country/soul band and then add the usual suspects: singers, comedians, magicians. And then we mix in some more novel acts: poetry and improv, diarists and dancers, games, stunts, surprises and the occasional baked good. Over nearly a year of doing the show at our home in Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, and other venues around Chicago, we have developed a growing family – diverse, tight-knit, supportive – which blurs the lines between audience and performer. Come and be a part of it.

B.A.P.S. Comedy Presents
FINE WINE & ALMOST ON TIME
Written and Created by Adrienne Brandyburg, Adrienne Brown & Jillian Ebanks
Sunday, May 20
8pm
$12
FINE WINE & ALMOST ON TIME – A melanin infused sketch show filled with fine ass melinated women telling melinated jokes. B.A.P.S.: A Comedy Variety Showcase is based out of Chicago, IL and showcases women of color in comedy. B.A.P.S. was created because we felt a void and created a platform for talented women of color in a typically male-dominated industry.

B.A.P.S. includes everything from stand-up and solo sketches to music and storytelling. Every month we showcase businesses owned and run by women of color. As women of color, it is our job to support, root and cheer for each other every chance we get! Get ready to hear voices that are positive, proud and unapologetic.

Our Perspective: Asian American Play Readings
An evening of staged plays readings, written and directed by Midwest Asian American theatre artists
Monday, May 21
7pm
Free
The Asian Pacific American (APA) population is seriously under represented on stage. “Our Perspective: Asian American Play Readings” is a staged play reading series intended to provide inspiration, space, and audiences for Midwest APA playwrights, directors, and actors. Curated by Mia Park and produced by Asian Improv Arts Midwest’s AA Arts Incubator, “Our Perspective” is a series of four play reading events at the Goodman Theatre and at Steppenwolf Theatre in 2018.

Asian Improv aRts Midwest (AIRMW) and Guest Curator Mia Park are proud to present “Our Perspective: Asian American Play Readings,” Chicago’s first-ever staged reading series of short and full-length plays written by Midwest Asian Americans. “Our Perspective: Asian American Play Readings,” is part of AIRMW’s AA Arts Incubator Program and is presented February 12, 2018 in The Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement at Goodman Theatre, 170 North Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois, from 7 – 9 p.m. The series continues May 21, 2018 in The 1700 Theatre at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1700 North Halsted Street, Chicago, Illinois; August 13, 2018 in The Alice at Goodman Theatre and November TBA 2018 in The 1700 Theatre at Steppenwolf Theatre. The February and August presentations will feature readings of short plays; the May and November presentations will feature the reading of a short and a full-length play.

“In our divisive times, it’s most important for all voices and faces to be seen and heard. Asian American theatre artists are a vital representation of the Asian Pacific American experience. We intend to provide inspiration, space, and audiences for local Asian American playwrights, directors, and actors in the series, ‘Our Perspective: Asian American Play Readings,’” says Mia Park. “Our universal voice will be best developed and strengthened by focusing on local talent. The only way to be heard and seen is to speak up and have presence, and ‘Our Perspective: Asian American Play Readings’ aims to accomplish these goals. We would especially like to thank everyone at the Goodman and Steppenwolf for their tremendous support in helping us get this important program off the ground.”