Steep Theatre

2026-04-22 Steep Theatre

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 20:41:10 GMT

Email from Steep Theatre Company

Newsletter 013 | April 22, 2026

May The Fourth Be With You

On Monday, May the 4th, Steep Theatre will present the first public staged reading of playwright Dan Aibel’s new work The Making, a revisionist retelling of the story behind the film that would become a cultural phenomenon: George Lucas’s Star Wars. The reading will be directed by Steep ensemble member Jonathan Berry and will be performed at the Edge Theater in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago.

A history play set in the 1970s, The Making visits husband and wife filmmakers George and Marcia at the beginning of new projects that will shape the creative landscape for a generation. The reading will feature Steep Ensemble Members Debo Balogun, Lucy Carapetyan, Chris Chmelik, Nate Faust, Ashlyn Lozano, Peter Moore, and Joel Reitsma.

Grab your tickets to The Making today!

RESERVE YOUR TICKETS

Bayless Foundation Grant

We are thrilled to share that the Bayless Family Foundation has named Steep and our partners About Face Theatre, Raven Theatre, and Rivendell Theatre Ensemble recipients of a 2026 Stepping Stone Grant! Our cohort of four Edgewater theaters will share the 3-year, $180,000 award to fund the development and oversight of a collective financial management and human resource system for our companies.

Steep and all of our partners are immensely grateful to The Bayless Family Foundation for their support of our group’s innovative work to improve operations and to develop models for future partnerships. It is a gift that will strengthen our organizations as well as the vital collaborative spirit of the Chicago theater community.

You can read more about the Bayless Family Foundation here.

2026-04-28 Steep Theatre

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:00:05 GMT

Email from Steep Theatre Company

Cast of The Making announced!

Next Monday, May the 4th, join Steep for the first public staged reading of The Making, a revisionist retelling of the story behind the film that would become a cultural phenomenon: George Lucas’s Star Wars.

Get your tickets today for this one-night only event!

BOOK YOUR TICKETS

Show & Ticket Information

The Making

First-ever public reading

By Dan Aibel | Directed by Jonathan Berry

Performance Location

The Edge Theater

5451 N Broadway Street

Chicago, Illinois 60640

One-Night-Only Performance! May 4th, 2026

A history play set in the 1970s, The Making visits husband and wife filmmakers George and Marcia at the beginning of new projects that will shape the creative landscape for a generation.

SHOW INFO

Support Steep

Support and inspire Steep’s artists by making a gift today. Your generosity will help us to rent performance venues, compensate artists, purchase materials, and engage new audiences

MAKE A GIFT

2026-05-22 Steep Theatre

Fri, 22 May 2026 10:00:14 GMT

Email from Steep Theatre Company

Newsletter 014 | May 22, 2026

Meet Our Ensemble

Caroline has been a Steep ensemble member for 19 years! Some of her most memorable Steep shows include: In Arabia, Harper Regan, The Knowledge, and A Brief History of Helen of Troy.

What excites you most about Steep’s new home?

I love the idea that we are finally able to nest within walls that are our own, and build memories that we can pass down to the next generations of Steepers.

What's a Steep memory you'll carry into this next chapter of the theater?

If there is a man eating an ice cream cone while he plunges the toilet in the new space during construction it’ll feel like a real full circle moment to me.

Are there any upcoming projects, performances or events you're looking forward to?

Yes! I have a teensy role in a new Apple TV show called Parallax, I’m directing Abbas’s play One Party Consent at Ghostlight Theatre in Benton Harbor, MI, in the fall, as well as being featured in Adirondack Chair Circle and The Comeuppance at Steppenwolf. Dying to see Catch as Catch Can at the Wolf, and more than anything can’t wait to see the inaugural show at Steep 3.0!!!!

25 Years of Fearless Theatre

left to right: Peter Moore, Alex Gilmor, Marika Engelhardt, Toby Nicholson, Leah Uteg, Michael Salinas, Pete Esposito, Julia Siple, Kevin Stark - Photo Credit: Lee Miller?

🎶 "It's daddy's birthday, oh yes it is and it is today" 🎶

FESTEN (May 2011)
By David Eldridge, Directed by Jonathan Berry

Steep's Midwest Premiere of the Festen was a historic hit for the company. This explosive family drama based on the Dogme film was universally praised by critics and played to completely sold-out houses for the entirety of its 10-week run. One for the books.

Beyond The Steep Stage

See Steeper Debo Balogun on stage in the Goodman's production of Convenant.

Catch Steeper Brandon Wardell's lighting design in Timeline's An Enemy of the People - the inaugural production in their beautiful new home in Edgewater. Welcome to the hood, neighbors!

Custom Awning Installed!

Construction continues on our new home at 1044 W. Berwyn. Most recently our custom awning was installed over the entry, masonry work continues on the exterior of the building, and we passed our first inspection! We're thrilled by all the progress and look forward to opening our doors this fall!

Fuel The Future of Steep

Your support keeps the momentum going. A gift today directly supports the Steep's artists as well as the new building that will bring their work to life.

MAKE A GIFT

2026-07-16 Steep Theatre

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 10:00:15 GMT

Email from Steep Theatre Company

Newsletter 15 | July 16, 2026

Meet Our Ensemble

Because our ensemble is one of the best in the biz, we want you to get to know them a bit better.

Destini Houston has been a Steep ensemble member since 2020. Some of her most memorable Steep shows include: Linda (2018) and First Love is a Revolution (2019).

What excites you most about Steep’s new home?

I'm so thrilled about Steep's new home, because my sweetest theatre memories are from this collective. I can't wait for more actors to experience the amazingness of Steep!

What's a Steep memory you'll carry into this next chapter of the theater?

The carpet being perpetually crusted with Cheeto dust after the Cheeto dance break during First Love.

Are there any upcoming projects, performances or events you're looking forward to?

I’ve been accepted into the British Academy of Dramatic Arts' Shakespeare intensive in Oxford (England, baby!), and have launched a GoFundMe to help me get there! If you happen to have even $5 to spare, it would mean the absolute world to me. For a cute n' more detailed explanation, please watch my sweet lil video here. THANK YOU!

Meet the Architect Who’s
Helping Build Our Future Homee

Monica Chada is the founder of Civic Projects Architecture, a Chicago-based practice advancing a participatory model of design that expands architecture’s role in civic and cultural life.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and why you founded Civic Projects?

I’m first-generation Canadian, and I originally came to Chicago for a job that was supposed to be for four months, but it stuck … I found a mentor and group of people in Chicago that are committed to socially-engaged design, and I just loved it here.

Throughout my career I’ve been lucky to work with architects who are civic and community minded, including women like Carol Ross Barney and Jeanne Gang here in Chicago. And, in undergrad at the University of Waterloo in Canada, I was able to study with Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi, the first and only Indian architect to win the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize. It was a truly transformational experience; it helped me connect with my Indian roots and it showed me how you could put people first in architecture. In traditional practice, there wasn’t always the opportunity or time to work with community and stakeholders directly on projects; I decided to create a firm that was truly grounded in that purpose.

Why did you want to work on this project? What was your vision for Steep’s new theater?

We started working with Steep before you even purchased the building at 1044 West Berwyn. There was mission alignment from the very beginning, in that we both truly care about our communities and neighbors. We felt invited in as a partner, and we spent a lot of time discussing the space, how it should feel and function.

The cheese plate became central to our planning process, because that’s such an important part of what makes Steep unique. Bringing the audience and the artists together after a show to have conversation, to engage and connect through storytelling. In the end we wanted to create a space that exudes warmth and welcomeness.

Read Chada's full interview on our website

We're Hiring!

In preparation for the opening of our new theater at 1044 W. Berwyn, we’re hiring several senior leadership roles, job descriptions are linked below. Please share with your networks.

The Development Director is responsible for leading all fundraising efforts.

The Operations Director is responsible for overseeing all production, facilities, and organizational operations.

Fuel The Future of Steep

Your support keeps the momentum going. A gift today directly supports the Steep's artists as well as the new building that will bring their work to life.

MAKE A GIFT