Steep Theatre

Steep Theatre, the small but critically-respected storefront company known for its productions of The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot in 2006 and Brecht's The Resistible Rise Of Arturo Ui last season, is moving.  Formerly located at the corner of Sheffield and Sheridan Road (where Sheridan ends its short jaunt west and turns back north again), the company has built out a brand new theatre space at 1115 West Berwyn in the Edgewater neighborhood. 

The move will address some long-standing problems with the old space, both in terms of seating capacity and audience and actor convenience.  "We decided last fall that the company and our audience had outgrown our space on Sheridan," says Executive Director Peter Moore. "It had served us well for five years, but we felt that it was limiting our production capabilities.  We needed more storage, more work areas, a larger dressing room, more bathrooms, a bigger playing space and audience capacity."  And according to Moore, there was another issue as well: the theatre was located right next door to a bar that often featured a live band.  "As much as we all like country music, their set list had become played.  Turns out there is only so many times you can hear 'Ring Of Fire'."

Their new space on Berwyn, right off the Red Line stop (the trains run almost literally right overhead), will feature a 60-70 seat theatre, three bathrooms, a larger lobby, more scene shop and storage space, and a bigger dressing room and lighting booth. "When it is all said and done, I really think that we will have one of the nicest theatres of its size in the city," says Moore.

The ensemble-based company is planning to officially open their new digs on October 30 with the opening night of their production of Seven Days, written by company member Egan Reich specifically for the Steep ensemble, and directed by company member Jim Poole.  Seven Days alludes to the Biblical Creation story and combines Old West mythology, romance, social commentary, and modern political themes.  It was developed in Steep's first-ever company workshop, and features many of the actors who participated in the workshop and helped to shape the final draft of the script.  Other shows planned for Steep's 2008-09 season include In Arabia We'd All Be Kings, by Stephen Adly Guirgis (who also wrote Judas Iscariot) in January, directed by Joanie Schultz, and Howard Korder's The Hollow Lands, directed by Jonathan Berry, in June.

All of these exciting plans come at a price, of course, in both sweat and treasure.  But the Steep ensemble could not be more thrilled about the help they've solicited from various entities.  "We have been very fortunate in the support we have received throughout the process," says Moore.  "The City has given us a very large grant, there is another potentially large grant in the works, and our board and supporters have been incredibly generous.  We really pushed ourselves, setting some pretty ambitious goals, and support appeared from all sorts of directions and in all capacities.  As stressful and terrifying as this process has been, it has been equally heartening and inspiring to experience that generosity and support."

The world-premiere production of Seven Days, by Egan Reich, opens Thursday, October 30 at Steep Theatre's new space at 1115 West Berwyn.  Purchase tickets at www.steeptheatre.com or call 312-458-0722. 

Luke Heiden
Contributing Writer