CHICAGO ( January 4, 2016 ) — Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the Chicago premiere of Annie Baker's 2014 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, The Flick. Under the direction of Dexter Bullard, who also directed the Chicago premiere of Baker's Circle Mirror Transformation, the cast features Danny McCarthy, Caroline Neff and Travis Turner as the three hapless employees of The Flick movie house. Previews begin February 4 ( opening night is February 14; press performances are Saturday, February 13 at 3pm and Tuesday, February 16 at 7:30pm ) and runs through May 8, 2016 in Steppenwolf's Upstairs Theatre ( 1650 N Halsted St ). Tickets ( $20 - $89 ) are available through Audience Services ( 1650 N Halsted ), 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org .
Three underpaid employees sweep up stale popcorn in a run-down movie house called The Flick, one of the last theaters in Massachusetts still projecting 35mm films. For Avery, this isn't a dead-end job. It's a way to get closer to the art form he loves. Passionate debates about cinema lead to a friendship of sorts with co-workers Sam and Rose. But will their tentative bond survive as they reveal what they actually need from each other? The Flick is a heartfelt cry for the kind of authentic connection we all want, even if we're a little afraid of it.
"What double fortune to return to Steppenwolf and to return to directing Annie Baker's luminous writing. Steppenwolf's attention to excellence in acting and artistic detail will be a terrific match to Annie's consummate and imaginative theater," shares director Dexter Bullard. "After my engaging, emotional and hilarious experience working on Circle Mirror Transformation in 2011, coming to The Flick at Steppenwolf is even more exciting."
Annie Baker received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Susan Smith Blackburn Award and Obie Award for Playwriting for The Flick, which premiered at Playwrights Horizons in 2013. The show was remounted at the Barrow Street Theater in May 2015 and will end its eight-month run this January. Most recently her hit play John, featuring Steppenwolf ensemble member Lois Smith, enjoyed an extended run at Signature Theatre. Other notable works by Baker include The Aliens ( Obie Award for Best New American Play ), Body Awareness and Circle Mirror Transformation ( Obie Award for Best New American Play ), which Dexter Bullard directed at Victory Gardens Theater in 2011.
Dexter Bullard has strong ties with Steppenwolf, having directed ensemble member Tracy Letts's Bug at the Barrow Street Theater, for which he received the 2004 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Direction Off-Broadway. He has directed for Steppenwolf's First Look Repertory of New Work in 2006 and 2013. Recent directing credits include the critically acclaimed production of Sucker Punch at Victory Gardens Theater, Big Meal at American Theatre Company and Craig Wright's Grace at Northlight Theatre. He is the head of Graduate Acting and Showcase Artistic Director with The Theatre School at DePaul University.
The complete cast for The Flick includes Will Allan as Skylar/The Dreaming Man, Danny McCarthy as Sam, Caroline Neff as Rose and Travis Turner as Avery. Caroline Neff performed in last season's critically acclaimed premiere Airline Highway by Lisa D'Amour at Steppenwolf and on Broadway. She is an ensemble member at Steep Theatre Company, and was voted the 2015 Chicago Readers' Pick for "Best Actress." Will Allan performed in the sold-out run of Steppenwolf for Young Adults' production of George Orwell's Animal Farm last season. Danny McCarthy, a longtime company member of A Red Orchid Theatre, last performed at Steppenwolf in Middletown in 2011. His television credits include Prison Break, ER and Chicago Fire, and film credits include Fred Claus, Stranger Than Fiction and Transformers 3. Travis Turner, who most recently performed in Second City's Let Them Eat Chaos, makes his Steppenwolf debut.
The production team includes Jack Magaw ( scenic design ), Alison Siple ( costume design ), Keith Parham ( lighting design ) and Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen ( sound design ). Additional credits include Jessamyn Fuller ( casting ); Christine D. Freeburg ( stage manager ) and Jonathan Nook ( assistant stage manager ).
Single tickets to The Flick are available through Audience Services ( 1650 N Halsted St ), 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org: Previews: $20 — $54 and Regular Run: $20 — $89. Prices subject to change. 20 for $20: twenty $20 tickets are available through Audience Services beginning at 11am on the day of each performance ( 1pm for Sunday performances ). Rush Tickets: half-price rush tickets are available one hour before each show. Student Discounts: a limited number of $15 student tickets are available online. Limit 2 tickets per student; must present a valid student ID for each ticket. For additional student discounts, visit steppenwolf.org/students. Group Tickets: all groups of 10 or more receive a discounted rate for any performance throughout the season. For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org/groups. For subscription packages and flexible pass options available, call 312-335-1650. Steppenwolf Pass: Passes are currently on-sale. Good for either 3 or 5 credits to use for any show in the 15/16 Subscription season. To purchase a 2015/16 pass, visit Audience Services at 1650 N Halsted St, call 312-335-1650 or visit steppenwolf.org .
Accessible performances include an American Sign Language interpretation on Sunday, April 10 at 7:30pm, Open Captioning on Saturday, April 16 at 3pm and an Audio Description and Touch Tour on Sunday, May 1 ( 1:30 touch tour; audio-described performance at 3pm ). For more information, visit steppenwolf.org/access.
Curtain times are Tuesdays through Sundays at 7:30pm; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3pm and Wednesday matinees at 2pm on April 20, April 27 and May 4. There are no Sunday 7:30 performances on April 24, May 1 or May 8.
Ameriprise Financial, PEAK6 and Razorfish are the Corporate Production Sponsors of The Flick.
Steppenwolf's 2015/16 Subscription Season includes the world premiere adaptation of John Steinbeck's East of Eden, adapted by ensemble member Frank Galati, directed by co-founder Terry Kinney ( September 17 — November 15, 2015 ); the Chicago premiere of Domesticated written and directed by ensemble member Bruce Norris ( December 3, 2015 — February 7, 2016 ); the Chicago premiere of The Flick by Annie Baker, directed by Dexter Bullard ( February 4 — May 8, 2016 ); the world premiere of Mary Page Marlowe by ensemble member Tracy Letts, directed by Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro ( March 31 — May 29, 2016 ); and the Chicago premiere of Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis, directed by ensemble member Yasen Peyankov ( June 23 — August 21, 2016 ).
Steppenwolf Theatre Company is America's longest standing, most distinguished ensemble theater, producing nearly 700 performances and events annually in its three Chicago theater spaces—the 515-seat Downstairs Theatre, the 299-seat Upstairs Theatre and the 80-seat Garage Theatre. Formed in 1976 by a collective of actors, Steppenwolf has grown into an ensemble of 44 actors, writers and directors. Artistic programming at Steppenwolf includes a five-play Subscription Season, a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season, First Look, a new play development series and Visiting Company engagements. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, nearly 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally, including Off-Broadway, Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Steppenwolf has the distinction of being the only theater to receive the National Medal of Arts, in addition to numerous other prestigious honors including an Illinois Arts Legend Award and 12 Tony Awards. Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director and David Schmitz is the Managing Director. Nora Daley is Chair of Steppenwolf's Board of Trustees. For additional information, visit www.steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre and twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr .
Steppenwolf Theatre Company 1650 N Halsted St Chicago, IL 60614 312-335-1650
