Of Mice and Men

Steep Theatre Company will continue its Fifth Season with their production of John Steinbeck’s classic Of Mice and Men which is being produced in repertory with Steep’s Midwest premiere of Jez Butterworth’s The Night Heron. Since its founding in March of 2001, Steep has grown by leaps and bounds, producing 20 shows and establishing itself as an important, contributing member of the Chicago theatre community. Steep’s past work has been said to exemplify “the risk-taking and surprise that the best off-loop theater continues to offer” and has been compared to the early work of Steppenwolf .

2005 was a breakout year for Steep Theatre Company, garnering incredible critical and commercial success. Over 2,000 people came out to see Steep shows in 2005, more than doubling their 2004 attendance and filling the forty-seat, storefront theater night after night. The shows were also huge successes with the critics. Incident at Vichy, Book of Days, and Catch-22 all garnered The Chicago Reader’s “Highly Recommended” designation, and Book of Days, as only the company’s second Jeff eligible show, earned Steep their first Jeff Award Recommendation. In both the Performink and The Windy City Times 2005 year-in-review editions, Incident at Vichy was mentioned as one of the more memorable shows of 2005 and Book of Days was named by Timeout Chicago as one of “The Top Ten Shows in Chicago” for 2005.

“Producing this double bill of The Night Heron and Of Mice and Men is a huge undertaking for a company of our size but we couldn’t be more excited,” said company member G.J. Cederquist. “On their own, each script is incredibly powerful, and together, we feel this tandem has the potential to be one of the more exciting events of this theater season.”

“We are particularly excited to be pairing Steinbeck’s classic with this Midwest premiere which we feel will quickly establish itself among the great works of modern theater,” said company member Peter Moore. “Thematically, the plays are eerily similar and we think they are perfectly suited for one another.” Both stories examine the nature of friendship and explore its strengths and vulnerabilities in the face of a community’s reaction to fear. John Steinbeck’s tried and true classic about friendship and sacrifice during the Great Depression premiered on Broadway in 1937.

Of Mice and Men begins February 20 and is directed by company member Michael Rice. Michael was co-founder and Artistic Director of Slimtack Theatre in Chicago and is currently teaching at Moraine Valley College. He has an M.F.A. in Theatre from the University of Houston. Rice joined the company in 2004 after directing Steep’s The Job and The Hothouse and appearing in The Time Trial. The show features Steep Theatre Company members Alex Gillmor and Brendan Melanson. They are joined by Jamie Allen, Peter Esposito, Anderson Lawfer, Bill Miller, J.J. McCormick, Caroline Neff, and Andrew Perez.

Jez Butterworth’s dark comedy, The Night Heron, begins February 16 and tells the tale of two gardeners battling an oppressive religious cult.  Butterworth’s first play, Mojo, won the 1995 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy.  He has also won the 1995 George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright, the Writers' Guild New Writer of the Year Award, and the Evening Standard Award for the Most Promising Playwright.  The Night Heron, his second play, debuted in 2002 at the Royal Court Theatre in London. 

The production is directed by company member G.J. Cederquist.  Cederquist joined the company in 2004 after directing Steep’s Dealer’s Choice and Pvt. Wars.  He most recently directed Steep’s Catch-22. He is a graduate of Yale University and has worked in Chicago with Strawdog Theatre Company, CollaborAction, and Disposable Theatre. It features Steep Theatre Company members Brad Akin, Peter Moore, and Jim Poole.  They are joined by Damian Arnold, Jonathan Edwards, Will Schutz, and Julia Siple.

Steep Theatre Company is a group artists who explore ensemble-based “Everyman” theatre. Its goal is to reach out to non-traditional theater goers by creating experiences relevant to them. The company brings out the everyday truths in the stories they tell through ensemble work. Recent productions have included Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, Book of Days by Lanford Wilson, Incident at Vichy by Arthur Miller, Howie the Rookie by Mark O’Rowe, and Dealer’s Choice by Patrick Marber.