Carolyn Braver, Jerry MacKinnon & More Set for Steppenwolf for Young Adults' LEVELING UP; Cast Announced

Steppenwolf for Young Adults has announced casting for the upcoming production of Leveling Up by Deborah Zoe Laufer. Hallie Gordon directs a cast featuring Carolyn Braver, Jerry MacKinnon, Clancy McCartney and JJ Phillips in this Chicago premiere. Leveling Up runs February 26 - March 15, 2014; the press performance is on March 1 at 11am. Performances at 10am are reserved for school groups only; public performances are scheduled March 7, 8, 14 and 15 at 7:30pm. Single tickets ($20) are on sale now through Audience Services (1650 N Halsted St), 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org. School group tickets are available through Education and Community Programs Coordinator Lauren Sivak at 312-654-5643.

Three twenty-something roommates are glued to their video games. They are masters of the virtual worlds behind the computer screens in their Las Vegas basement. When one of them uses his gaming skills to land a job with the National Security Agency launching actual drones and missiles, online battles begin to have real consequences. Leveling Up is a fresh, contemporary look at how we navigate the blurry line between worlds both virtual and real and learn to live with the choices that we make.

When the game turns deadly, how will you play? Leveling Up is the second installment in Steppenwolf for Young Adult's 2013/14 season, which began earlier this year with William Golding's Lord of the Flies. In these two plays, one new and one classic, young people navigate tricky moral landscapes-and must confront personal accountability for their choices-in games both virtual and real.

The production team for Leveling Up includes: Brian Bembridge (scenic and costume design), JR Lederle (lighting design), Rick Sims (sound design) and Anna Henson (video design). Additional credits include: Erica Daniels (casting) and Jonathan Nook (stage manager).