Steep Theatre's 15th Season to Include World Premieres, U.S. Premieres & More

Steep Theatre is thrilled to announce the programming for its upcoming, landmark 15th season. The slate of shows will celebrate many of the elements that have defined this company since its inception and established it as one of the most vibrant companies in Chicago: bold scripts from today's most exciting writers; fearlessly honest ensemble work; and visionary directors. Steep's 15th season features a U.S. premiere from 2015 Tony Award winner and Steep Associate Playwright Simon Stephens; a world premiere from playwright and veteran stage and screen actor Hamish Linklater; a U.S. Premiere from one of Britain's most celebrated writers Laura Wade; and a local premiere from Obie and Drama Desk Award winner Samuel D. Hunter.

The season begins in October with the world premiere of Hamish Linklater's The Cheats, directed by Steep Ensemble Member Joanie Schultz. Mr. Linklater, well known for his stage, film, and TV work, made a splash in 2013 with his critically acclaimed playwriting debut The Vandal, which made its Midwest Premiere at Steep in 2014. Steep's production earned two Jeff nominations and also forged a relationship between the playwright and the company, resulting in their partnership for this world premiere production. Ms. Schultz directed Steep's Jeff nominated/winning productions of The Receptionist, A Brief History of Helen of Troy, and In Arabia We'd All Be Kings, along with recent notable Chicago productions of Venus in Fur at the Goodman Theatre and The Whale at Victory Gardens.

In January, director and Steep Ensemble Member Jonathan Berry returns to Steep to helm the U.S. premiere of Laura Wade's Posh. Steep delivered one of its bigger hits in 2008 with the U.S. Premiere of Wade's Breathing Corpses, which was named by Timeout Chicago one of the best shows of the year. Mr. Berry, a Jeff Award winner and many time nominee, has directed some of Steep's most memorable productions including Festen, Moment, The Knowledge, and 2015's extended-hit The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle. Posh debuted to much acclaim at London's Royal Court Theatre in 2010 and was later remounted in 2012 in the West End.

In the spring, Steep Ensemble Member Brad Akin will direct the Chicago premiere of Samuel D. Hunter's The Few. Mr. Hunter is a Victory Gardens Ensemble Playwright, and his plays A Bright New Boise (2011 Obie), Rest, and The Whale (2013 Drama Desk Award) have received critically acclaimed Chicago productions. The Whale was named one of the top shows of the year by both the Chicago Tribune and Timeout Chicago. The Few received its world premiere at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, CA in October 2013. Mr. Akin directed past Steep hits strangers, babies, Under the Blue Sky, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, and Book of Days. His productions have received multiple Jeff nominations and have been named to Timeout's Top Ten Shows of the Year list.

The season closes with the U.S. premiere of Simon Stephens Wastwater, directed by Steep Ensemble Member Robin Witt. Mr. Stephens recently won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Play with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Steep has a long, successful relationship with the playwright, having produced the midwest premiere of Pornography and the U.S. premieres of his Harper Regan and Motortown. Stephens was named Steep's first Associate Playwright in 2013. Ms. Witt has directed all of Steep's productions of Stephens' plays and recently won the 2015 Jeff Award for Best Director for Griffin Theatre's Men Should Weep.

The World Premiere of
The Cheats
By Hamish Linklater
Directed by Joanie Schultz
October 2 - November 7, 2015

It's the end of October, 2012: John and Anne have two children and a good marriage - they have sex, drive hybrids, and have cut out sugar. But John has been spying on the neighbors, frankly, for a while now, and at 9 a.m, Halloween morning, the neighbors have come for a visit.
The Cheats: a play about your marriage, and how it can get f*cked when you forget to lock the front door.

The U.S. Premiere of
Posh
By Laura Wade
Directed by Jonathan Berry
January 21 - February 27, 2016

The Oxbridge dining club is filled with Britain's brightest, best and most moneyed young men. When their elitist position is threatened, they will stop at nothing to take it back. Posh puts you on the front lines of the war between the classes, the adolescent struggle for identity, and the battle for the status quo.

The Midwest Premiere of
The Few
By Samuel D. Hunter
Directed by Brad Akin
April 14 - May 21, 2016

Four years ago, Bryan walked away from his life, his lover, and his labor of love - a magazine for long distance truckers. Now, he's back, without explanation and without answers, looking to finish what he couldn't on the road. In an anonymous highway town, The Few pulls together the pieces of lives filled with loss.

The U.S. Premiere of
Wastwater
By Simon Stephens
Directed by Robin Witt
July 7 - August 13, 2016

Three couples sit on the precipice of a defining decision. Set in the shadow of an airport, Wastwater tells three interconnected stories examining the looming consequence of choice. The play, named for the deepest lake in England, explores the depths of human longing.

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 24 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, and the 2015 Jeff Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Steep was named the 2010 Broadway in Chicago Emerging Theatre Award Winner.