BWW Q&A: Audrey Francis Talks YOU WILL GET SICK at Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the nation’s premier ensemble theater company concludes its 49th Season with Noah Diaz’s whimsical, wild, unpredictable and deeply moving Chicago premiere of You Will Get Sick, directed by Artistic Director Audrey Francis (Noises Off, POTUS–Director), now extended through July 20, 2025 in Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St. in Chicago.

A young man with a secret. An older woman who will listen. A predatory flock of birds. An upcoming audition for The Wizard of Oz. Welcome to You Will Get Sick, a wildly imaginative new play that traces the hilarious and deeply moving saga of one man’s illness and his unlikely caretaker’s pursuit of her dreams. Admired as “lively, surreal and surprising” by the New York Times, Noah Diaz’s Chicago debut is equal parts buddy-comedy, form-bending experiment and sober meditation on mortality.

You Will Get Sick features the cast features ensemble members Cliff Chamberlain, Amy Morton and Namir Smallwood with Jordan Arredondo and Sadieh Rifai.

Audrey Francis (Director) currently serves as Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre, alongside Glenn Davis, where she has been an Ensemble member since 2017. Audrey directed POTUS in Steppenwolf's 2023/24 season and has performed on stage in Noises Off, The Thanksgiving Play, The Herd, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Fundamentals, The Doppelgänger (an international farce) and Dance Nation. TV and film credits include Justified: City Primeval, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Empire, Perpetrator, Knives and Skin and Later Days. Audrey is an acting coach for NBC, Fox, Showtime and Amazon. She is also the co-founder of Black Box Acting and the co-creator of Steppenwolf's corporate training program, Steppenwolf IMPACT.

Can you share more about your role in Noah Diaz's play "You Will Get Sick" as a director and one of Steppenwolf's Artistic Directors?

It's a special thing to be part of creating the macro-culture at Steppenwolf as Artistic Director and also curating the micro-culture responsible for bringing a production to life. As an Artistic Director, I have an intimate understanding of why Glenn and I programmed this play, how we believed it would challenge and inspire our ensemble, staff, and board, and how we hoped it would both serve and move our Chicago audiences.

How did your role as an Artistic Director influence your approach to directing this play?

For me, one of the special aspects of being an Artistic Director is having access to the talents that exist within our community. So, my approach was less of directing my personal vision and more of facilitating a room full of extraordinary artists who were inspired to innovate, create, and dream big. From the actors, to the designers, to our stage management, costume, scenery, and props teams, all the way to our finance, marketing, audience experience, and food and beverage departments - everyone at Steppenwolf had a hand in supporting Noah's play come to life. So, my approach was one of acknowledging the talent and passion that exists within our community and inviting us all to be a part of bringing this play to life.

Can you describe the humor in "You Will Get Sick" and how it contributes to the overall tone of the play?

I think Noah has done something brilliant in allowing us to laugh while grappling with the inevitability that our bodies will one day betray us, and that every day we wake up, we're one step closer to the exit sign. These are truths, and how we choose to dance with them can make our futures feel friendlier and perhaps even something to enjoy rather than fear. Laughter brings people together, and what Noah has done with the humor in his play has allowed us to redefine what getting sick can mean and how we can (as Namir Smallwood said), "View it as a beginning rather than an end."

How does working with the cast of "You Will Get Sick" compare to previous productions you've been involved with at Steppenwolf Theatre?

I always feel lucky to work at Steppenwolf because of the ensemble and the incredible actors we have here in Chicago. But something special about the cast of YOU WILL GET SICK, in particular, was the relationships I had with each artist. Amy is my former teacher, my lifelong mentor, fellow ensemble member, and one of my best friends. Cliff, also a fellow ensemble member, with whom I've been friends and have worked with for 20 years. Namir and I became ensemble members in the same year and, in a short amount of time, have gone through some of the company's most dynamic years. Sadieh was a former student of mine and has been an artist I've admired in Chicago for decades. And Jordan... Well, this is my first time meeting Jordan. I'd never seen him before, but his audition blew me away. His work onstage and his demeanor offstage made it undeniable that he would be a pivotal addition to the team. We've got a crew of sickly talented artists on that stage who prioritize honesty, bravery, and compassion, so it's impossible not to be inspired watching them work together.

How did you approach the balance between the humor and the more serious themes in "You Will Get Sick"?

As a team, we discussed that everything had to come from a place of honesty, and that however actors responded, it must be a direct reaction to what they just witnessed in their partner. So, we didn't spend a lot of time planning or deciding what was funny or not. We focused on catching every ounce of each other's behavior and responding honestly to that. Noah's writing handled the humor. And the actors are naturally funny people in real life. So, the ingredients were there. All we had to do was bring the truth within each present moment to the circumstances and text that Noah provided.

What message do you hope audiences will take away from seeing this play?

I hope audiences allow themselves to be challenged by a different way of storytelling. I hope they open themselves up to go on a journey they couldn't predict, but can relate to. And ultimately, I hope they find themselves surprisingly moved and unexpectedly hopeful.