Step Up Productions to Present CRIMES OF THE HEART This Summer

Step Up Productions is pleased to conclude its 2014-15 season with Beth Henley's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning dark comedy CRIMES OF THE HEART directed by Brad Akin, playing May 8 - June 14, 2015 at The Athenaeum Theatre (Studio One), 2936 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago.

Tickets are available at www.stepupproductions.org or by calling The Athenaeum Box Office at (773) 935-6875. The press opening is Tuesday, May 12 at 7:30 pm.

CRIMES OF THE HEART will feature Elizabeth Antonucci, Sarah-Jayne Ashenhurst, Will Crouse, Drew Johnson, Lindsey Pearlman and Amanda Powell.

Life hasn't been easy for the three MaGrath sisters: their father abandoned them and their mother hanged herself - along with her cat. Now, they've reunited at Old Grandaddy's home in Hazlehurst, Mississippi as the family patriarch lies on his deathbed. Lenny is still unmarried at 30, Meg's singing career has flopped and Babe is out on bail after shooting her abusive husband. Forced to confront assorted relatives and past relationships, the three manage to find meaning and happiness in their lives -- even if it is just momentary.

Partial proceeds from CRIMES OF THE HEART will benefit a partner charity (to be announced). As part of its mission, Step Up Productions donates a portion of its proceeds to organizations in and around Chicago that support issues often highlighted in its productions.

The production team for CRIMES OF THE HEART includes: Sarah Watkins (scenic design), Raquel Adorno (costume design), Rebecca Barrett (lighting design), Matthew Chapman (sound design), Sarah Burnham (props design), Dorthea Walstrom (make-up design), Tara Branham (casting director), Maggie Rogers (dramaturg, asst. director), Jacob Puralewski (technical director) and Catherine Allen (production manager).

About the Playwright: Beth Henley was awarded the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Crimes of the Heart, her first professionally produced play. The play also earned Henley a Tony Award nomination and her screenplay for the film version of Crimes of the Heart received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Her 1984 play The Miss Firecracker Contest was also adapted into a 1989 film entitled Miss Firecracker. Henley's other notable stage productions include Ridiculous Fraud produced at the McCarter Theatre in 2006 and Family Weeks, producer at MCC Theater in 2010, directed by Jonathan Demme.

About the Director: Brad Akin is a Chicago-based director and educator. An ensemble member at Steep Theatre Company since 2005, Brad has directed several productions with his artistic family including the Chicago premieres of Linda McLean's strangers, babies, David Eldridge's Under the Blue Sky, Stephen Adly Guirgis's The Last Days of Judas Iscariot and Emily Mann's Greensboro: A Requiem. Outside his Steep home, Brad directed the Chicago premieres of Lucy Thurber's Where We're Born and Bekah Brunstetter's OOHRAH! (with LiveWire Chicago) at Steppenwolf's Garage Theatre. Other companies Brad has had the pleasure of directing plays, readings and workshops for include WildClaw, The Poor Theatre, Sideshow, Dog & Pony, 2nd Story, Pivot Arts,and Bowen Park Theatre. Every summer, Brad has the great privilege of challenging the best and the brightest high school seniors of North Carolina as the theater instructor for the NC Governor's School. For more information, please visit www.bradakin.com.

About Step Up Productions: Step Up Productions is a non-profit theater company with a mission to communicate stories authentically, inspiring audiences to identify and embrace their own personal truths.

Step Up became a non-profit, in part, to better serve other non-profit organizations in and around Chicago that are committed to helping others become self sufficient. Step Up donates a portion of its proceeds to organizations that support issues often highlighted in its productions.

For additional information, visit www.stepupproductions.org.