11:00 am – 12:00 pm

This event is FREE and open to the public. No RSVP required.

The cast of Steppenwolf’s Theatre The Dance of Death by August Strindberg will visit UIC Theatre’s Convocation class on March 6, 2026, at 11:00 am-12:00 pm. The production is directed by the Head of Theatre Yasen Peyankov, with scenic design by faculty member Collette Pollard, voice coaching by faculty member Jason Martin and movement by faculty member Claire Kaplan. The production continues its critically acclaimed run through March 22 at Steppenwolf Theatre.

UIC Theatre Department is honored to welcome Steppenwolf’s Co-founder and Ensemble member Jeff Perry, Steppenwolf Ensemble member Kathryn Erbe and Steppenwolf Ensemble member Cliff Chamberlain for a conversation with director and Steppenwolf Ensemble member Yasen Peyankov, scenic designer Collette Pollard and the students of THTR 299 Convocation. Please join us for this open to the UIC community event where you will hear about the creative process of bringing Strindberg’s classic to Steppenwolf’s stage and the artistic paths of Jeff Perry, Kathryn Erbe, and Cliff Chamberlain.

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About the artists

Jeff Perry is a co-founder of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and has acted and directed in over 40 Steppenwolf productions. Regional: No Man’s Land, Seagull, Streamers, Time of Your Life, Anna Christie, A Steady Rain. International: The Grapes of Wrath, August: Osage County. Television: Nash Bridges, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, $1, Dirty John, Inventing Anna, Alaska Daily. Upcoming: Co-Producer The Steppenwolf Theatre Documentary. “I owe my life in art to the guidance of every teacher, artist, student, and storytelling colleague I’ve been blessed to share time and space with.

Kathryn Erbe first worked with Steppenwolf on the Broadway production of The Grapes of Wrath (1990 Tony Award for Best Play). Her most recent Steppenwolf production was A Streetcar Named Desire. She was nominated for a Tony for The Speed of Darkness. Kathryn also appeared in The Father (MTC) and A Month in the Country (Roundabout) on Broadway. Off Broadway credits include Yosemite, Ode To Joy, AZAK (Rattlestick); Checkers (The Vineyard); Nikolai and the Others (Mitzi Newhouse LTC); Something Clean (Roundabout Underground) and Down the Shore (Atlantic) and most recently Ashes & Ink (AMT). She is best known to television audiences for her work on Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order SVU. Her other TV credits include Oz, Homicide, The Runaway, George Wallace, Breathing Lessons, POSE, The Sinner, City On A Hill, Billions, How to Get Away With Murder and the upcoming Black Rabbit on Netflix. Film credits include 3 Backyards, Mistress America, Dating My Mother, Assassination Nation, Alex Strangelove, No Alternative, The Good House, Red Pill, Being Dead, Speaking of Sex, Stir of Echoes, Dream with the Fishes, Naked City,  Entropy, What About Bob?, D2: The Mighty Ducks, Kiss of Death, The Addiction, Rich in Love and the upcoming The Plea.

Cliff Chamberlain joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 2018. Steppenwolf Theatre Company: The Minutes, Belleville, Clybourne Park, Theatrical Essays, Superior Donuts. Chicago: The Seagull (Goodman Theatre); The Sparrow (The House Theatre of Chicago). Broadway: The Minutes, Superior Donuts. Television: Homeland, Altered Carbon, The Act, Dirty John: Betty, Easy, State of Affairs, Chicago PD, Paper Girls, The Chair. Film: The Wise Kids, Win it All and Netflix’s upcoming RIP. Cliff trained at UCSB and The School at Steppenwolf. “Love to R + E + E + C.”