Why did Clare Barron’s success bring her so much shame? The performer-turned-playwright received widespread acclaim after the 2015 debut of her play You Got Older, but this didn’t lift her spirits and she needed to know why.
The big twist in Dance Nation is that the members of the middle-school dance troupe who are determined to make it to a national competition in Tampa Bay are played by adult actors covering an age range of nearly 50 years—a decision made to illuminate how teenage experiences shape adults. “I was interested in people of all ages who I felt had the soul of a 13-year-old,” says Barron. “I was looking for actors with a certain kind of energy and connection to their past and that moment in their lives.”
Through 2/2: Tue-Thu 7:30 PM, Sat 3 and 7:30 PM, Sun 3 PM; see website for holiday schedule, Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted, 312-335-1650, steppenwolf.org, $20-$94.
