The actors recently spoke about the riveting drama with a wild casting twist and plenty of humor.
In the show, a son comes home after years away, and it sets off emotional fireworks between two families.
"Catch as Catch Can" is written by Mia Chung and directed by Amy Morton.
Audrey Francis stars as an ensemble member and artistic director, along with Glenn Davis.
"There are three actors playing six characters. So I play myself and I also play my father. And the two gentlemen on stage, Gary Cole and Tim Hopper, they also play themselves and their own mothers. So we're all playing two generations and two genders," Francis said. "It's like a runaway train, and I don't even have time to be nervous about performing for the audience."
Francis said the Steppenwolf ensemble has core values, including honesty and bravery.
"We genuinely believe in the unlimited potential of each other. And so sometimes, if we may not be able to dream it for ourselves, we dreaming it for each other," Francis said.
Hopper has been an ensemble member for nearly four decades.
"They're amazing, fantastic; they're so warm," Hopper said. "They're really smart; they're really savvy about theater. I've done a lot of shows in New York and had audiences that were flat out rude and making noise. And I feel like Chicago people get it. They're very attentive; they're right on the edge of their seat. They're with you; they support you over the years."
Hopper said "we're all doing the best we can."
"If they fail, if they fall short, try not to judge them. That's a human being; they are where they are. They can't help any more than they can," he said. "This feels so good; it's like coming home."
Hopper said the "legacy of Steppenwolf is trying to tell the truth in the moment to moment."
"Trying to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances, and the audiences who come to see us do that and hopefully we're being brave and showing the spectrum of our behavior, sometimes it's not attractive. But it's real," he said.
"This play delivers almost every promise Steppenwolf has ever tried to make: Have fun. Be challenged; be surprised and leave with something to talk about," Francis said. "If you're open to go on a ride, this is a really fun one."
See "Catch as Catch Can" at Steppenwolf through this Sunday.