STEPPENWOLF THEATRE — FEATURES OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REGIONAL THEATRE IN THE UNITED STATES

Abstract

The article analyzes the organizational and creative evolution of the Steppenwolf Theatre from a student ensemble to a major regional theatre in the United States. The theatre troupe was created as a team of like-minded people united by a common understanding of the goals and tasks of the theatrical art and involved different specialists striving to create a unified creative ensemble. Its rapid development was accompanied by the disintegration of the permanent troupe, which is a characteristic phenomenon for non-profit theatres in the United States. However, the creative leaders of the Steppenwolf Theatre in different years managed to cope with art crisis phenomena, which were confirmed by numerous awards and rare, for American theatres, tours, including invitation to the National Theatre of Great Britain. The success of the productions increases; the theatre gets wide popularity in the country, goes on foreign tours, and receives the highest professional awards. Thanks to these successes, the theatre community awarded the company, despite serious competition on Broadway in the season 1989–1990, by Tony Award in nominations: Best Performers, Best Director, and Best Play. That was a serious recognition of the significance of the Steppenwolf Theatre and regional theatres in general.