Actor-playwright Tracy Letts has been added to the Steppenwolf Theatre Company's roster of ensemble members. He is the first addition to the Chicago theatre's roster since actress Martha Plimpton was elevated to membership in 1998.
Letts has appeared in such Steppenwolf shows as The Dazzle, Glengarry Glen Ross, Three Days of Rain and Picasso at the Lapin Agile. Letts is also the author of the lurid drama Killer Joe and Bug. He is, in fact, the first artist to join the actor-heavy troupe possessed of a reputation as an established playwright. Frank Galati and Eric Simonson have penned a number of adaptations, but are primarily known as directors. Actor Austin Pendleton, too, has written plays. However, he began that second career in earnest after joining Steppenwolf's ranks.
Killer Joe was a sizable Off-Broadway hit a few years back. It and Bug have been staged in London.
The ensemble now includes 34 members.
—By Robert Simonson
