EDGE Chicago

Steppenwolf Theater Company and Martha Lavey are household names for theater-savvy (or obsessed) Chicagoans, or we gay folk who are impressed by a "little" old thing like, say, a certain award named TONY.

And for those of you who don’t know...well, it is never too late.

Martha Lavey, thirteen-year Artistic Director (Ensemble) of Steppenwolf Theater Company, has graced Chicago and national stages and has won numerous awards and accolades for her progressive vision for Steppenwolf, as well as her own directorial and performance accomplishments, over the past three decades.
And what continues to be true for Ms. Lavey, even after her considerable tenure at Steppenwolf, is that she not only loves her job, but plans on staying with the company until death do them part.

"They are going to have to send me out kicking and screaming," she jokes, underscoring a more serious vision: "One can’t ever know what the future holds, but I love it here and envision myself staying with Steppenwolf in the coming years."
Despite Lavey’s contented approach to her career, she posits anything but a "let it be," style to her artistic direction of Steppenwolf.
This woman works hard.
"As an Artistic Director, I see my role as navigating relationships between varying constituencies. I work with the Ensemble, the Board of Directors, and the audiences and community at-large. And, of course, our Executive Director, David Hawkanson."
Martha cites a bifurcated experience of her most joyous and challenging moments in her job at Steppenwolf, working with her valued artists.
"The fantastic thing about working with artists is this sort of cataclysmic energy, intra- and interpersonally speaking, and this ability to see varying sides of an idea or an issue. I see it as both my privilege and my challenge to coordinate these perspectives, as well as to coalesce these with the broader vision of our company. When I have an opportunity to collaborate between the two I feel I can be creative.
And the manifestation of creative energy is something that Martha Lavey is certainly not new to in her life.
Lavey began producing plays in her parent’s basement in grade school to audiences of her friends’ parents and siblings, and in the decades since, she has gone on to grace stages with the likes of John Malkovitch, John Mahoney and Frank Galati. She offers each of these "men in her life" magnanimous respect. Yet Lavey makes no bones about remembering whence she came.
She cites her all-girls Catholic high school teacher, Anne Knoll, in encouraging her to attend Northwestern University’s theater department, where ultimately she would meet her co-collaborators at Steppenwolf and earn her Ph.D. in Performing Arts.
"Anne Knoll was directing The Miracle Worker at Immaculata high school where I attended, and she really encouraged me and supported me in learning more about and pursuing my interests at Northwestern. We are still in touch today."
Lavey has come a long way since those high-school drama show days, but "I am happier and more abundant in my life now than ever before."
When asked about what makes her life abundant, other than, of course, a cool job and a lot of interesting people surrounding her, Martha offers a powerfully simple response.

"I am less interested in things. I have a serenity about me that comes with both growing comfortable in who one is and in a sense of spirituality. I am also lucky enough to have a creative outlet and a fullness in the work that I do."

For all of the seeming excitement in life that Lavey has amassed, her voice gleams when she talks about her seven siblings, her parents, her friends, and, that sense of spirituality to which she attributes much of her life experiences, as well as "learning to love life and people in new and different ways."

And all of this "lightness" coming out of Lavey, this generosity of sprit one experiences in her presence, on top of the fact that she has a ragingly successful career, well; even though that would normally make you, say, hate a person; Martha Lavey is so sincere and inviting that you just can’t help but feeling like you hit the jackpot in coming across her spirit.
And what else would one expect?
Steppenwolf’s creative successes over the past years, and performances that keep the audiences coming and coming and, well, coming are definitely, in part, attributable to the magic energy that Martha Lavey imparts.

And, most importantly? Martha has cool hair.

To learn more about Martha and how to see shows, volunteer and donate money to Steppenwolf, go to
http://www.steppenwolf.org/.