Highland Park native Jeff Perry stars in ‘Seagull’ on Steppenwolf Theatre’s newest stage

However he is additionally one of many founding members of Chicago’s world-acclaimed Steppenwolf Theatre, the place you may see him now starring in “Seagull.”

Anton Chekhov’s “Seagull” is the primary manufacturing launched within the 400-seat Ensemble Theater “within the spherical” – an area that displays the Steppenwolf spirit.

Trying round now, Perry mentioned he feels “a combo platter of astonishment and gratitude.”

“With Chekhov’s work you really need individuals to really feel like, ‘I acquired invited right here, these individuals do not even know I am right here,’” Perry mentioned of his newest efficiency. “That is what you need for the viewers – a way of a voyeur, being plopped down.”

Perry and Gary Sinise grew to become “theater children” at Highland Park Excessive Faculty.

“We fell in love with it – so there, bounce forward a number of years to Illinois State College the place I meet John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf,” Perry mentioned. “To search out that you simply love working in group, as a tribe, as an inventive household, as ensemble, that you simply feed off the humorousness, the sense of vulnerability, the sense of braveness.”

He nonetheless has a particular place in his coronary heart for Cyrus, too.

“I really like me some Cyrus, oh, I am so grateful for that man,” Perry mentioned. “Seven years of attending to discover that lovely, loopy, cantankerous, somewhat bit romantic, once-in-a-while good man.”

“Seagull” flies excessive till June 12 – or perhaps July, if there’s viewers demand.