Pictured: Mariann Mayberry in the 2012 Steppenwolf production of  GOOD PEOPLE by David Lindsay-Abaire. Photo by Micheal Brosilow. 

Steppenwolf Theatre Company announced earlier today that ensemble member of 24 years Mariann Mayberry passed away this morning after a long, private battle with cancer. According to a statement from the company, “she left the world peacefully in the company of family and friends who love her deeply.”

The statement continues, “As dear friends, ensemble members, donors, staff, artists, audience members and members of the Steppenwolf and Chicago communities, we all will dearly miss the powerful presence Mariann brought to our lives and the stage. Her remarkable talent, humor, strength, and bravery were a gift to all those who knew her or saw her on stage. We are so lucky to have had her in our Steppenwolf family. She was greatly loved.”

Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro shared, “Mariann was our girl. Funny, strong, unbelievably hard working, with a quick smile that belied a complex and beautiful interior life, she was at the center of who this company is and has always been. It is impossible to imagine our theater – or this astonishingly cruel world – without her. We are devastated.”

Mariann Mayberry, a Steppenwolf ensemble member since 1993, most recently appeared in Grand Concourse (2015). The Chicago Tribune hailed her performance as one of the ‘Top 10 performances of 2015.’ Previous Steppenwolf credits include Russian Transport, Good People, August: Osage County (Chicago, Broadway, London and Sydney), Love Song, Last of the Boys, and many others. Broadway credits also include One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and Metamorphoses. Off-Broadway credits include Go Back To Where You Are (Playwright’s Horizon) and The Notebooks Of Leonardo Da Vinci (Second Stage). Some other favorites include Argonautika (Lookingglass), The Odyssey (Goodman), Hamlet (Chicago Shakespeare) and How I Learned to Drive (Northlight/Alliance). Television credits include Person Of Interest, Are We There Yet, Law & Order (C.I., Trial By Jury, SVU), Mercy, The Dave Chappelle Show, The Pennsylvania Miner’s Story. Film credits include Dogman, The Company, War of the Worlds and Since You’ve Been Gone.

Steppenwolf’s performance will be dark tonight and the theatre lights dimmed. Steppenwolf has invited the community to gather at Front Bar, 1700 N. Halsted, beginning at 4 pm to share memories in her honor. Information about memorial services will be shared at a later date.