Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the nation's premier ensemble theater company, is pleased to present Graceful Warrior: An Evening with Gary Sinise on Tuesday, November 24, 2026 at 7:30 pm in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St. in Chicago.
On the tails of Steppenwolf's celebrated 50th Anniversary Season, Co-Founder Gary Sinise joins Artistic Director Audrey Francis for this one-night-only conversation that bridges generations of Steppenwolf's ensemble. In addition to speaking about Steppenwolf's history, Sinise will share reflections from his upcoming memoir Graceful Warrior: The True Story of a Son, a Father and a Family Who Carried Each Other Through, which honors the life and legacy of his son Mac. All tickets include the purchase of an autographed copy of Graceful Warrior, signed by Sinise.
Tickets cost $70* (includes autographed book). A special Steppenwolf member pre-sale begins Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 12 pm. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, September 25, 2026 at 12 pm at steppenwolf.org/warrior or by calling the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. *Pricing includes a $10 handling fee
About Graceful Warrior:
On November 10, 2026, McCanna "Mac" Sinise would have celebrated his 36th birthday. Instead, on that day, his father Gary Sinise, will honor Mac's extraordinary life by sharing the story that forever changed his own. Graceful Warrior is Sinise's most personal book to date. More than a memoir, it is a father's tribute to a remarkable young man whose faith, creativity, humor, compassion, and quiet strength inspired everyone around him. While the journey includes Mac's battle with an ultra-rare form of bone cancer, Gary makes clear from the opening pages that this is not a book about cancer. It is a story about hope, perseverance, unwavering love, and the grace to keep moving forward together.
About the Artists:
Gary Sinise's distinguished career in film, television, theater and philanthropy spans across five decades, marked by a deep commitment to storytelling, service and purpose. His journey began in 1974 when at just 18 years old, he co-founded Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, which has become recognized as one of the premier theater companies in the world. He is a three-time Tony Award nominee, twice for acting in Steppenwolf's productions of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Grapes of Wrath, and once for Best Director of Buried Child. His many acting credits at Steppenwolf include A Streetcar Named Desire, The Caretaker, Loose Ends and Balm in Gilead. Gary has also directed some of Steppenwolf's most notable productions, including Orphans, the Vietnam veteran drama Tracers and Sam Shepard's True West, which he also performed in with John Malkovich Off Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre and received an Obie award for Best Director.
Sinise is best known for his iconic portrayal of wounded Vietnam War veteran Lt. Dan Taylor in the award-winning film Forrest Gump that brought him widespread acclaim and deepened his connections within the military community. Sinise earned Academy Award, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations and was recognized with the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor. His extensive film credits include Apollo 13, Ransom, The Green Mile, Of Mice and Men, Mission to Mars, The Human Stain, I Still Believe and Joe Bell.
On television, for nine seasons Sinise starred as Detective Mac Taylor on CSI: NY, symbolizing his support, affinity and appreciation for first responders. Recent television work also includes Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders and the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. With multiple award nominations to his credit, Sinise is an Emmy, Golden Globe and two-time Screen Actors Guild Award winner for his performances in Truman and George Wallace.
In 2011, Sinise founded the Gary Sinise Foundation, with a mission to serve our country by honoring our nation's defenders, veterans, first responders, their families and those in need. The Foundation provides critical support including building specially adapted mortgage free smart homes for our nation's most severely wounded heroes, providing equipment grants to fire and police departments around the country, educating the next generation through trips to the National WWII Museum, National Medal of Honor Museum, Flight 93 Memorial, 9/11 Memorial and Museum and the Pentagon, supporting the families of our fallen through community programming, hosting free concerts with Gary Sinise & the Lt. Dan Band, which for nearly 25 years has been uplifting our veterans, first responders, families of our fallen heroes and much more.
Audrey Francis currently serves as Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre, alongside Glenn Davis, where she has been an Ensemble member since 2017. Audrey directed You Will Get Sick in Steppenwolf's 2024/25 season and POTUS in the 2023/24 season. She has performed on stage in Catch as Catch Can. Noises Off, The Thanksgiving Play, The Herd, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Fundamentals, The Doppelgänger (an international farce) and Dance Nation. TV and film credits include Justified: City Primeval, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Empire, Perpetrator, Knives and Skin and Later Days. Audrey is an acting coach for NBC, Fox, Showtime and Amazon. She is also the co-founder of Black Box Acting and the co-creator of Steppenwolf's corporate training program, Steppenwolf IMPACT.
Accessibility:
Steppenwolf is committed to making the theatergoing experience accessible to everyone. Assistive listening devices are available for every performance and all our spaces are equipped with an induction hearing loop. Our building features wheelchair accessible seating and restrooms, push-button entrances, a courtesy wheelchair and all-gender restrooms, with accessible counter and table spaces at our bars. For additional information regarding accessibility, visit steppenwolf.org/access. If you have questions or would like to make a specific request, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call our box office at (312) 335-1650.
Sponsor Information:
United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf is also grateful for the significant season support from lead sponsors Allstate Insurance Company, Paul Angell Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Crown Family Philanthropies, Caroline and Keating Crown, Julius Frankel Foundation, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Northern Trust, Anne and Don Phillips, John Hart and Carol Prins, Shubert Foundation, Inc, and Zell Family Foundation. Steppenwolf also acknowledges generous support from premier sponsors Anonymous, Andrew and Amy Bluhm, Michael and Cathy Brennan, Ann and Richard Carr, Chicago Community Trust, Rich and Margery Feitler, FROST CHICAGO, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Jessica and Dominic Green Family Fund, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Orlebeke Foundation, Sacks Family Foundation, Gary Sinise Foundation, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Thoma Bravo, and Bryan Traubert and Penny Pritzker. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Illinois Arts Council, and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
About Steppenwolf Theatre Company:
Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation's premier Ensemble Theater with 51 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions have made this theatre legendary. From the early phenomenon of Balm in Gilead, to The Grapes of Wrath, August: Osage County, Downstate, The Brother/Sister Plays, and more recently, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Purpose, Steppenwolf Theatre has had a long-running and undeniable impact on American Theatre and Chicago's cultural landscape. Founded in 1974 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry and Gary Sinise, Steppenwolf started as a group of friends in their teens and early 20s performing in the basement of a school in Highland Park, Illinois. Today, the company's artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theatre, whose vitality is defined by its appetite for bold and innovative work. Every aspect of Steppenwolf is rooted in its Ensemble ethos, from the intergenerational artistic programming to the multi-genre performance series LookOut, to the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education and Engagement which serves nearly 15,000 teens annually. While grounded in the Chicago community, more than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Steppenwolf also holds accolades that include the National Medal of Arts, 14 Tony Awards, two Pulitzer Prize-winning commissions and more. Led by Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, Executive Director E. Brooke Flanagan and Board of Trustees Chair Keating Crown — Steppenwolf continually redefines the boundaries of live theater and pushes the limits of acting and performance.
Steppenwolf's Mission: Steppenwolf strives to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. We succeed when we disrupt your routine with experiences that spark curiosity, empathy and joy. We invite you to join our ensemble as we navigate, together, our complex world. steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.
