Steep Theatre Company's ninth season continues on Thursday, January 21st, with the U.S. Premiere of Simon Stephen's Harper Regan, directed by Robin Witt. Stephens' work has been impressing British audiences for years, yet Chicago audiences have only recently become acquainted with the talented, young playwright's work through Griffin Theatre's Jeff Nominated production of his On the Shore of the Wide World.  Steep is thrilled to pair this tremendous writing talent with one of Chicago's own exciting directing talents, Robin Witt.  Witt directed Steep hits Breathing Corpses and Parlour Song. The show will run Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8 pm through February 27th.

Harper Regan premiered in 2008 at the National Theatre in London. On a startlingly bright autumn night in 2008, Harper Regan walked away from her home and her husband and her daughter and she kept walking. She told nobody that she was going. She told nobody where she was going. She put everything she ever built at risk. For two lost days and nights, until it looked as though her entire life might unravel, she didn't turn back.  From Uxbridge to Stockport to Manchester and back again, Harper Regan navigates the UK, exploring family, love and delusion; and how to live in a godless universe.
Stephens' On the Shore of the Wide World won the Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2005 and his Punk Rock recently received a critically acclaimed production in London's West End in 2009.  He was a resident dramatist at both the Royal Theatre and the National Theatre. Other titles include Pornography, Motortown, Sea Wall, and Country Music.

Director Robin Witt is back at Steep after collaborating with the company on Jez Butterworth's Parlour Song and Laura Wade's Breathing Corpses, which was named one of the top shows of 2008 by TimeOut Chicago. Witt is teaming up with many of the designers responsible for some of Steep's best conceived shows:  Scenic Designer Marcus Stephens (Breathing Corpses, Parlour Song), Lighting Designer Brandon Wardell (Scenic Design - Arturo Ui, In Arabia), Costume Designer Chelsea Warren (Scenic Design ­ The Hollow Lands), and Props Designer Jesse Gaffney(Parlour Song). Newcomers Matthew Chapman (Sound Design), Eva Brenneman (Dialect Coach), Gemma Hobbs (Dramaturg), and Jon Ravenscroft (Stage Manager) round out the Production Staff. 

Harper Regan features company members Jonathan Edwards, Alex Gillmor, Brendan Melanson, Peter Moore, Caroline Neff, Melissa Riemer and Julia Siple.  They are joined by Adam El-Sharkawi, Dan Flannery, Curtis Jackson, and Kendra Thulin in the title role.

Steep Theatre is coming off an incredibly exciting inaugural season in their new home.  The last year featured the best-attended, best-selling production in company history, 2 Jeff Recommend shows, 5 Jeff Nominations for excellence in theater, the Jeff Award for Best Ensemble, and another appearance on Timeout Chicago's Top Ten Shows of the Year. In the four years that Timeout has come out with their Top Ten List, Steep has made the list three times. Only one other theater company has made the list three years(Steppenwolf) and only one company made the list in both 2007 and 2008: Steep.