Mike Bartlett's EARTHQUAKES IN LONDON to Make U.S. Debut at Steep Theatre

Steep Theatre will present the first professional U.S. production of Tony nominee and Olivier Award-winning playwright Mike Bartlett's Earthquakes in London, opening January 26, 2017. Steep's production opens on the heels of another Chicago production of this enormously exciting playwright's work, the critically-acclaimed King Charles III at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Earthquakes will be helmed by one of Chicago's most exciting talents, Steep Ensemble Member and Jeff Award-winning director Jonathan Berry. Berry recently directed Steppenwolf Theatre's Constellations, and, over the years, has consistently produced some of Steep's most notable shows, including Season 15's Posh by Laura Wade, which won the Non-Equity Jeff Award for Best Ensemble, and was nominated for Best Director and Best Production.

Berry has developed a reputation for masterfully orchestrating large ensemble casts on Steep's intimate stage and, with a fifteen-member ensemble, Earthquakes in London will be no exception. Steep Company Members Lucy Carapetyan (The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle, Breathing Corpses), Patricia Donegan (The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle, Making Noise Quietly), Alex Gillmor (Posh, Motortown, Moment), Nick Horst (Bobbie Clearly, Wastwater), Cindy Marker (If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet, Moment), Peter Moore (Wastwater, Brilliant Adventures, If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet), and Jim Poole (The Knowledge, Harper Regan) will be joined by guest artists Indra Anreshak, Leea Ayers, Nate Faust, Greg Geffard, Donna McGough, Sarah Price, Omer Abbas Salem, and Amber Sallis.

"Earthquakes is perhaps the most ambitious project we've ever undertaken at Steep," said Artistic Director Peter Moore. "It's a script we've had our eye on for some time, but given the scope of the problems we're facing in this literal and figurative climate, it has never seemed more timely or more important."

Earthquakes in London debuted at the National Theatre in London in 2010.

About the Director
Steep Ensemble Member Jonathan Berry is a director and teacher in Chicago and is the Artistic Producer at Steppenwolf Theatre. His Steep productions include Laura Wade's Posh, Ross Dungan's The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle, Nick Payne's If There Is I Haven't Found it Yet, John Donnelly's The Knowledge, David Eldridge's Festen, Deirdre Kinahan's Moment, Howard Korder's The Hollow Lands and Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. For Steppenwolf, he directed Nick Payne's Constellations, the SYA production of A Separate Peace, the world premiere of Melinda Lopez's Gary, and the staged reading of Suicide, Incorporated, which he later directed at The Gift Theatre. He was also the Assistant Director for Anna D Shapiro's Broadway productions of Of Mice and Men and This is Our Youth. Jonathan is also an Artistic Associate with Griffin Theatre, where his productions include Samuel D. Hunter's Pocatello, Odets' Golden Boy, Miller/Tysen's The Burnt Part Boys, Sheik/Sater's Spring Awakening, the North American premieres of Simon Stephens' Punk Rock (Jeff Award Director, Lead Actor, and Ensemble) Port, and On the Shore of the Wide World, Stephen Sondheim's Company, William Inge's Picnic, JB Priestely's Time and the Conways, Sidney Kingsley's Dead End, Brendan Behan's The Hostage and R.C. Sheriff's Journey's End. At the Gift Theatre, he has directed the world premieres of both Dirty and Suicide, Incorporated by Andrew Hinderaker, as well as Will Nedved's 6. His Goodman Theatre productions include The Solid Sand Below and The World of Extreme Happiness for their New Stages Festival. His other work includes Redtwist's Look Back in Anger and Reverb; Chicago Dramatists' I am Going to Change the World; Jackalope Theatre's The Casuals; Strawdog's Conversations on a Homecoming, Remy Bumppo's The Marriage of Figaro; Theatre Mir's Bond's The Sea and Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle, and Lifeline Theater's The Piano Tuner (Afterdark award - Best Production).

About the Playwright
Mike Bartlett is an Associate Playwright at Paines Plough. In 2011 he was Writer-In-Residence at the National Theatre, and in 2007 he was Pearson Playwright in Residence at The Royal Court Theatre. His play Love Love Love won Best New Play in the 2011 Theatre Awards UK, c*ckwon an Olivier Award in 2010 for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, he won the Writer's Guild Tinniswood and Imison prizes for Not Talking, and the Old Vic New Voices Award for Artefacts. His television series The Town was nominated for a BAFTA for Breakthrough Talent. His plays include King Charles III (Almeida Theatre/Wyndham's Theatre, 2014), An Intervention (Paines Plough/Watford Palace Theatre, 2014), Bull (Sheffield Theatres and Off-Broadway, 2013), Medea (Headlong/Glasgow Citizens/ Watford/Warwick, 2012), Chariots of Fire (Hampstead Theatre/Gielgud Theatre, 2012), Decade (Co-writer - Headlong, 2011), Love Love Love (UK tour 2010 - 2011), 13 (National Theatre, 2011), Earthquakes in London (Headlong/National Theatre, 2010), c*ck(Royal Court and Off-Broadway, 2009), Contractions (Royal Court, 2008), Artefacts (Nabokov/Bush Theatre; 59E59 Theatre, New York, 2008), and My Child (Royal Court, 2006).

Steep Theatre's Commitment to New Work
As part of its ongoing commitment to bringing new stories like Earthquakes in London to Chicago and to developing new theatrical voices, Steep Theatre Company has named Egan Reich, an ensemble member since 2005, as its new Literary Manager. Reich replaces ensemble member Brad Akin, who has helmed Steep's literary department since 2004. Akin has pioneered the company's expansion of how and where it discovers its material, opening Steep's doors to new work and more diverse voices while creating a nurturing home for playwrights to experiment.

Reich, a playwright and screenwriter, wrote Steep's first world premiere production, Seven Days, which opened the company's Berwyn Ave. space, in 2008. He also appeared in Book of Days and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot for the company. Save the Date, which he co-wrote, premiered in competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. His other plays include Breach at Dog & Pony, The Most Liquid Currency in the World at Pine Box, and General Desdemona at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Reich is currently a public affairs adviser at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C., where he serves as a writer and media spokesman.

"Brad and Egan are on the same page in a lot of ways about what makes a play compelling to me and to the ensemble, and they have been for a long time. A voice like Egan's in the room will be both familiar and help us push our boundaries," said Artistic Director Peter Moore.

"This ensemble and our directors and our community of artists are perpetually refashioning and reimagining what it means for a work of dramatic literature to be a Steep play," Reich said. "We're looking to sustain an identity that's viscerally recognizable while keeping audiences startled."

Reich will liaise with Steep's network of playwrights and literary agents, manage script submissions to the company, and explore new opportunities for presenting developmental work. He will also oversee future activities from Steep's professional development partnership with Northwestern University. Script submissions in the form of a cover letter and 10-page sample are accepted at literary@steeptheatre.com.

About Steep Theatre
Steep Theatre has become known as a home for hard-hitting, finely tuned ensemble work. With each production, the company has shepherded a growing community of audiences and artists into bold new territories of story and performance. Over the years, Steep productions have been named in TimeOut Chicago's Top Ten Shows of the Year list five times, the Tribune's Top Ten List twice, the Tribune's Best of the Fringe list twice, the Sun Times' best of the year list twice, and WBEZ's Top Ten Shows of the Decade. Steep has received 27 Jeff Nominations and has won the 2009 Jeff Award for Best Ensemble, the 2010 Jeff Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, the 2011 Jeff Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, the 2015 Jeff Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and the 2016 Jeff Award for Best Ensemble. Steep was named the 2010 Broadway in Chicago Emerging Theatre Award Winner.

Steep Theatre is conveniently located by the Berwyn Red Line stop and is within blocks of the #92, #36, #146, #147, and #151 buses.

WHERE:
Steep Theatre
1115 West Berwyn, Chicago, IL 60640

WHEN:
January 26 - March 4, 2017
Press Opening: Thursday, January 26 at 8pm
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8pm
Sunday matinees at 3pm (February 5, 12, 19, 26)
The performance on February 18 will feature audio description and a pre-show touch tour, which will begin at 7pm. The performance on February 26 will feature open captioning.

BOX OFFICE:
General Admission Tickets: $25
Reserved Seat Tickets: $35
Access Tickets: $10 (Steep's universal discount for students, artists, whomever)
(773) 649-3186
www.steeptheatre.com

GENERAL INFORMATION:
www.steeptheatre.com
773-649-3186
info@steeptheatre.com
Twitter: @SteepTheatre
Facebook: SteepTheatre

PRESS CONTACT:
Kate Piatt-Eckert
773-649-3186
kate@steeptheatre.com

CAST:
Indra Andreshak
Leea Ayers
Lucy Carapetyan*
Patricia Donegan*
Nate Faust
Greg Geffrard
Alex Gillmor*
Nick Horst*
Cindy Marker*
Donna McGough
Peter Moore*
Jim Poole*
Sarah Price
Omer Abbas Salem
Amber Sallis

PRODUCTION TEAM:
Director - Jonathan Berry*
Stage Manager - Jon Ravenscroft
Set Design - Arnel Sancianco
Lighting Design - Brandon Wardell**
Sound Design - Matt Chapman**
Costume Design - Alison Siple**
Prop Design - Kat Powers
Projection Design - Mike Tutaj
Dialect Coach - Kendra Thulin*
Assistant Director - Denise Serna
Production Manager - Ellen Willett

*Denotes Steep Company Member
**Denotes Steep Artistic Associate