Photo Flash: Steppenwolf for Young Adults Presents the World Premiere of THE BURN

Steppenwolf for Young Adults (SYA) is proud to produce the world premiere ofThe Burn, written by acclaimed Chicago playwright Philip Dawkins and directed by Devon de Mayo. Featuring a cast of professional actors, The Burn addresses the bullying and social media issues that many teens experience in school. Public performances for The Burn are Saturday, February 17 at 3pm and 7:30pm; Friday, February 23 at 7:30pm; Saturday, February 24 at 3pm and 7:30pm; Friday, March 2 at 7:30pm; and Saturday, March 3 at 3pm and 7:30pm in the Upstairs Theatre. The press performance is Saturday, February 17 at 3pm. Weekday performances are reserved for school groups only. Tickets to public performances ($20; $15 with student I.D.) are available through Audience Services (1650 N Halsted St), 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org.

Mercedes is an outsider. Tara makes sure she knows it. When a high school production of The Crucible forces them together, tensions escalate into acts of bullying?both online and IRL. This world premiere play explores what happens to a teacher and his students when a classroom conflict turns into an online witch-hunt.

Philip Dawkins is a Chicago playwright and educator. His play Charm, recently received its NY premiere at MCC in Fall 2017. His plays include The Happiest Place on Earth (Side Show Theatre/Greenhouse Theater Center); Le Switch (About Face Theatre, The Jungle), Charm (Northlight Theatre), Miss Marx: Or The Involuntary Side Effect of Living (Strawdog Theatre), The Homosexuals (About Face Theater) and the musical adaptation of Dr.Seuss's The Sneetches with composer David Mallamud (Children's Theater Company, Minneapolis). He teaches playwriting at Northwest University, Loyola University Chicago and through the Victory Gardens ACCESS Program.

Photos by Joel Moorman