Photo Flash: Steppenwolf's UP Runs Through 8/23

On the best day of his life, Walter Griffin built a flying machine that reached the clouds. Ever since, he's tried to recapture that authentic moment of feeling completely free. His son Mikey dreams of a different path to freedom: getting rich. And his wife Helen just dreams of a husband who will keep his feet on the ground. Up is a quirky, bittersweet tale about an American family trying to escape the boundaries of the everyday by harnessing the power of the imagination.

Bridget Carpenter is an award-winning playwright whose works have been produced at theaters across the country including Arena Stage, Lincoln Center and the Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Anna D. Shapiro won a 2008 Tony® Award for her direction of Steppenwolf's critically-acclaimed play August: Osage County, which transferred to Broadway and London after a sold-out run in Chicago.

The design team for Up includes: Dan Ostling (sets), Mara Blumenfeld (costumes), Ann G. Wrightson (lights) Richard Woodbury (sound) and David Singer (composition). Edward Sobel is the Dramaturg, Laura D. Glenn is the Stage Manager and Deb Styer is the Assistant Stage Manager.

Tickets are $20-$70. Twenty $20 tickets are available at Audience Services beginning at 11:00 a.m. on the day of each performance (1:00 p.m. for Sunday performances). Half-price rush tickets are available one hour before each show. Student discounts available. 312-335-1650. Online ticketing is available at www.steppenwolf.org.

The Up Wine Tasting Night: Enjoy wine and food pairings from Vinci Restaurant while our DJ spins tunes in our newly-renovated lobby: Wednesday, July 8 at 6:00 p.m. Tasting and performance cost $60 per person. For tickets and additional information, contact Audience Services.

The Up MaTEENée performance for high school students will be held on Saturday, June 20 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets cost $15 and include: a ticket to the performance, lunch and a post-show discussion with actors featured in the production - hosted by Steppenwolf's Young Adults Council.

The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust is the foundation sponsor for Up. Free post-show discussions, sponsored by AT&T, are offered after every performance. Steppenwolf is located near all forms of public transportation and is wheelchair accessible. Street and lot parking are available. Assistive listening devices are available for every performance.

Committed to the principle of ensemble performance through the collaboration of a company of actors, directors and playwrights, Steppenwolf Theatre Company's mission is to advance the vitality and diversity of American theater by nurturing artists, encouraging repeatable creative relationships and contributing new works to the national canon. The company, formed in 1976 by a collective of actors, is dedicated to perpetuating an ethic of mutual respect and the development of artists through on-going group work. Steppenwolf has grown into an internationally renowned company of 42 artists whose talents include acting, directing, playwriting, filmmaking and textual adaptation. For additional information, visit www.steppenwolf.org.

Photo Credit: Michael Brosilow

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