Presented by Steppenwolf Theatre Company, “Adirondack Chair Circle” is a new comedy by Stephanie Alison Walker that follows Banna, a perfection-seeking suburban mother whose campaign against perceived school “indoctrination” draws increasingly troubling allies and forces her to confront the contradictions in her own life. Blending sharp satire with surprising humanity, the play explores belonging, group identity and the lengths people will go to find community in a divided America.

Steamboat Magazine spoke with playwright Stephanie Alison Walker, director JC Clementz, and dramaturg Bryar Barborka about developing the play, collaborating at the Colorado New Play Festival, and the questions at the heart of this new work.

Steamboat Magazine: I'd love to start with each of you explaining who you are within “Adirondack Chair Circle.”

JC Clementz: I’m the director of casting and artistic operations at Steppenwolf. And I will be directing the workshop of “Adirondack Chair Circle” at the festival. 

Bryar Barborka: Yes, I am also on staff at Steppenwolf. I am the literary manager and casting associate there. On this particular project, I am the dramaturg - in new plays the dramaturg’s role is to be an advocate for both the play and the playwright. I mostly see the job as a person who is a part of the process who can maintain an outside eye. I try to see the play in the way the audience sees it. 

Stephanie Alison Walker: I am the playwright. I started writing this play in 2024. It was a year after our local school board had some women try to get on the board and they were interested in banning books. It was a very shocking thing that happened. A lot of what I put in the play is stuff that I experienced … So I was looking into why these people choose to align themselves with these extreme causes and if there is something we can learn by examining that.

SM: This play explores belonging, identity and group dynamics. Why do you think those themes resonate so strongly right now?

SAW: What we’re seeing is this division in our country and families … It feels like the norm these days.I was talking to a director and she said, ‘Everyone is terrified of giving up their political capital by listening.’ So, I wanted to foster a response with this play where we’re not just looking at what these people are doing but to reflect back on us, maybe we can understand better why these people will align with groups that limit other people's freedom. A conversation and listening to each other doesn’t mean we lose, but we can look through with the lens of curiosity. And that's what I really wanted to explore.

SM: What surprised you most about these characters as you wrote them?

SAW: I think the willingness to change. Change in a story is very critical. When I write plays, I don’t have an outline, so when I start I don’t know how it's going to end. I didn’t have an expectation of how each character would change. One character changes dramatically throughout and I didn’t originally think that would happen. One character in the play does not change at all and is perfectly happy not changing at all, and that was also a surprise to me.

SM: JC, what conversations with Stephanie have most shaped this production so far?

JCC: We are still very early on in development. We have a beautiful script and we’re about to head into a workshop. That's really where the fun is, to be in the room with actors, to be able to hear it aloud and react in the moment. This is the fun part. Stephanie had the most difficult part, putting the words on the page; and now we get to play with it. 

SM: Were there particular social or cultural trends that informed your work on the play?

BB: Something I've noticed about the play is the generational divide. The lead character has a child who is trans. That causes a rift between her and her child, in her relationship, and with her friends. Some subtle and not so subtle ways. I think the conversation around trans people in this country has turned a certain way in the last few years and also the way that parents are both able to and unable to interact with their younger, queer children. 

SM: How does humor help the play explore difficult topics?

JCC: I think it gets audiences in the door. People want to be in a community and be able to laugh together. That’s part of the reason Steppenwolf wanted to program it, because it says something and it's funny. I think a lot of people will have a good time but they will also learn something, feel something, maybe be challenged. That’s what good theater does.

SM: If audiences leave discussing one idea on the drive home, what would you like it to be?

SAW: I want people to have a good time, to be entertained. Also, to leave with a new perspective, to see something they haven’t seen before. It's a character driven play, so I want people to fall in love with these characters and then be surprised! I hope people reflect as well; to me theatre is a mirror.

SM: What will success look like for you after this reading?

JCC: I think it’s already been a success, just being in the room and hearing the play and being able to produce this play. I’ve read it, I’ve seen a reading of it, we know that this play is going to be something that audiences will want to see. I think the success will be being able to share it with a new group and keep working on it. 

BB: Every play, by the nature of theater, is supposed to be experienced with a group of people in a space so being able to share this with new people is already a success for us.

“Adirondack Chair Circle” will be read during the Colorado New Play Festival on Saturday, June 13 at 4:00 p.m. at Library Hall in the Bud Werner Memorial Library. For more information, visit https://www.cnpfsteamboat.org/2026-colorado-new-play-festival.