Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel and Chris Chmelik to Star in LELA & CO. at Steep Theatre

Steep Theatre's U.S. Premiere of Cordelia Lynn's Lela & Co., directed by Robin Witt, will feature Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel and Chris Chmelik. Gonzalez-Cadel will make her Steep Theatre debut, and this will be Chmelik's third Steep production, after Simon Stephens' Motortown and Howard Korder's The Hollow Lands.

Lela & Co. will mark the U.S. debut of the 26 year-old Lynn, who is a rapidly rising playwright in the UK. She was just awarded The Royal Court Theatre's Harold Pinter Commission to support new work. Lela & Co. premiered at the Royal Court in London in 2015 to much critical acclaim. Robin Witt is a longtime director and company member at Steep and has been at the helm the some of the company's most memorable shows, including Simon Stephens' Motortown, Pornography, and Harper Regan; and Alistair McDowall's Brilliant Adventures. She won the 2015 and 2016 Jeff Award for Best Director for Griffin Theatre's Flare Path and London Wall.

CAST:
Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel
Chris Chmelik

PRODUCTION TEAM:
Director - Robin Witt*
Stage Manager - Lauren Lassus**
Set Designer - Joe Schermoly
Lighting Designer - Brandon Wardell**
Sound Designer - Thomas Dixon**
Costume Designer - Jessica Kuehnau Wardell
Prop Designer - Maria DeFabo**
Fight Choreographer - Christina Gorman
Dramaturg - Carina Abbaticchio
Assistant Directors - Michael Rogerson & Isabel Perry
Production Manager - Catherine Allen

Steep Theatre is conveniently located by the Berwyn Red Line stop and is within blocks of the #92, #36, #146, #147, and #151 buses. The address is 1115 West Berwyn, Chicago, IL 60640. Performances will run July 13 - August 19, 2017, with a Press Opening on Thursday, July 13 at 8pm. Schedule: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8pm; Sunday matinees at 3pm (excluding July 16). Accessible Performances: Audio Description: August 5; Open Captioning: August 13.

Contact the box office at (773) 649-3186 or online at www.steeptheatre.com. General Admission Tickets: $25. Reserved Seat Tickets: $35. Access Tickets: $10 (Steep's universal discount for students, artists, whomever).

About Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel
Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel received her degree in acting from the Universidad del Salvador. Chicago credits include: La Havana Madrid and i put the fear of Mexico in 'em (Teatro Vista), Electra (Court Theatre), You on the Moors Now (The Hypocrites), The Compass (Steppenwolf Theatre- SYA), The Grown Up (Shattered Globe Theatre), The Life and Death of Madam Barker (Red Tape Theater), Your Problem With Men (Teatro Luna), The Clean House (Something Marvelous) and Corazon de Manzana (Mortar Theatre). Film Credits include: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Cruz is a graduate of the Improv Training Program at iO Theatre and an ensemble member at Teatro Vista. She is represented by Stewart Talent.

About Chris Chmelik
Chris Chmelik is a founding member of The Inconvenience a multidisciplinary arts group in Chicago. As an actor and performer Chris has appeared in The Inconvenience's productions of The Earl, Chicagoland, Our House, Strapped and The Fly Honey Show. Select other Chicago credits include The Merry Wives of Windsor, Short Shakespeare! The Comedy of Errors, and King Lear (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Motortown, The Hollow Lands (Steep Theatre); Reverb (Redtwist Theatre); Coriolanus (The Hypocrites); Letters Home, On The Shore Of The Wide World, The Hostage (Griffin Theatre); The Sea (Theatre Mir); Wuthering Heights (Lifeline Theatre). Television Credits include Sirens (USA), Double Cross (ID), Chicago Fire (NBC), and the upcoming feature film Death Wish. Chris received his BFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul. He is represented by Paonessa Talent

Housed in what was once a small grocery store steps from the Berwyn Red Line stop, and lead by an ensemble of 34 actors, directors, designers, writers, and other theatre artists, Steep is the quintessential storefront theatre. Described by Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune as "a storefront theater known for the power of its acting," Steep creates powerful productions of plays by today's most exciting writers and features the work of Chicago's hottest theatre artists in an intimate, accessible space. Currently in its 16th season, Steep is 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.