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Steven Peterson writes about people forced to make hard choices, showing us who they really are. From comedies to dramas, his plays entertain, challenge, and often hold out hope.
The 2017-18 theatre year is seeing world premieres of two of his plays: Paris Time at Capital Repertory Theatre (Albany, New York) and The Actuary at Peninsula Players Theatre (Fish Creek, Wisconsin).
His other produced plays are Affluence, which premiered at Theatre 40 (Beverly Hills, California) in 2014, and The Invasion of Skokie, which premiered at Chicago Dramatists in 2010 and revived by other theatre companies.
In addition, his one-act plays have been produced at theatres in Chicago and other cities, most recently Key Ring at the 2016 Pittsburgh New Works Festival.
New full-length plays not yet produced but now in the pipeline include The Widows’ League, Prodigal Brothers, Lydia Lindstrom, and The Shabbos Goy.
Mr. Peterson’s plays have grown through workshops, staged readings, and new play festivals across the USA: Cleveland Play House, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Chicago Dramatists, Capital Rep, Centre Stage (Greenville, South Carolina), Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Theatre, Theatre Ariel (Philadelphia), Raven Theatre (Chicago), Heartland Theatre Company (Bloomington, Illinois), and others.
He is a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists, a two-time winner of the Julie Harris Playwrights Award, a winner of the Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition, and a member of the Dramatists Guild of America
Somewhat unusually for a playwright, Mr. Peterson came to the craft after a long business career. He worked as a writer and partner for a large consulting firm and held expatriate postings around the world. The first professional production of one of his plays was in 2010. He was born in Chicago and grew up in its suburbs. After some years away, he makes his home again in the ever-dramatic Windy City.