Erika Sheffer's THE FUNDAMENTALS World Premiere Extends at Steppenwolf

By popular demand, Steppenwolf Theatre Company extends its acclaimed world premiere production of The Fundamentals by Erika Sheffer and directed by ensemble member Yasen Peyankov.

Set in a NYC hotel, this funny scathing look at America's corporate culture continues for five additional performances, through December 31, 2016 with the original cast.

Tickets ($20 - $86) to the additional performances of The Fundamentals go on sale today at 11am through Audience Services (1650 N Halsted), at 312-335-1650 or at steppenwolf.org.

Added performances of The Fundamentals include:

Tuesday, December 27 at 7:30pm

Wednesday, December 28 at 7:30pm

Thursday, December 29 at 7:30pm

Friday, December 30 at 7:30pm

Saturday, December 31 at 3pm

Millie is a smart, resourceful young mother who works as a housekeeper in one of New York's premier luxury hotels. When an opportunity to move into management gives her the chance to leave behind her blue collar life, Millie must decide how much, and who, she's willing to sacrifice to secure her family's future. A funny and scathing look at America's corporate culture, The Fundamentals examines the compromises we make in order to fulfill our dreams.

The Fundamentals was commissioned by Steppenwolf and developed as part of the First Look new play series in 2015. This September, The Guggenheim Museum in New York presented selected scenes from The Fundamentals with the Chicago cast as part of their "Works & Process" series. The reading was followed by a discussion moderated by Julian Sheppard with the cast, director and playwright.

The cast includes ensemble members Alana Arenas (Millie), Caroline Neff (Stellan) and Alan Wilder (Abe) with Audrey Francis (Eliza) and Armando Riesco (Lorenzo).

The Fundamentals production team includes Collette Pollard (scenic design), Natasha Dukich (costume design), Lee Fiskness (lighting design), Rick Sims (sound design and original music) and Stephan Mazurek (projection design). Other credits include Aaron Carter (artistic producer), JC Clementz and Tam Dickson (casting), Laura D. Glenn (stage manager) and Nora Mally (assistant stage manager).

Single Tickets ($20 - $89) to The Fundamentals are available through Audience Services (1650 N Halsted St), 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org. Prices subject to change. 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, steppenwolf.org/students. Group Tickets: all groups of 10 or more receive a discounted rate for any performance throughout the season, steppenwolf.org/groups. Black Card Memberships are for audiences interested in extreme flexibility. Cards include six tickets for use any time, for any production including the LookOut Series. The tickets are valid for one year with the option to add additional tickets as needed. Perks include easy and free exchanges, access to seats before the general public, savings on single ticket prices and bar and restaurant discounts for pre- and post-show socializing. More info at steppenwolf.org/memberships.

This holiday season, purchase the Steppenwolf Black Card, an all-access pass with six tickets to any show, and also receive a $25 restaurant gift card. Holiday packaging included. steppenwolf.org/gift.

Accessible performances include an American Sign Language interpretation on December 4, 2016 at 7:30pm, Open Captioning on December 10, 2016 at 3pm, and an Audio Description and Touch Tour on December 18, 2016 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 2pm matinees are December 7, 14 and 21. There are no Sunday 7:30pm performances on December 11 and 18.

Steppenwolf's 2016/17 Season opened with the world premiere of Visiting Edna by David Rabe, directed by Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro, which closed November 6. Currently playing is The Fundamentals (November 10 - December 31, 2016), followed by the Chicago premiere of The Christians by Lucas Hnath, directed by ensemble member K. Todd Freeman (Now playing - January 29, 2017); the Chicago premiere of Straight White Men, written and directed by Young Jean Lee (February 2 - March 19, 2017); the world premiere of Linda Vista by ensemble member Tracy Letts, directed by Dexter Bullard (March 30 - May 21, 2017); and the Chicago premiere of Hir by Taylor Mac, directed by Hallie Gordon (June 29 - August 20, 2017); and an additional summer show, Pass Over by Antoinette Nwandu (June 1 - July 9, 2017).

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation's premier ensemble theater-redefining the landscape of acting and performance. Formed by a collective of actors in 1976, the ensemble has grown to 46 members who represent a remarkable cross-section of actors, directors and playwrights. Thrilling and powerful productions from Balm in Gilead to August: Osage County-and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony Awards-have made the theater legendary. Steppenwolf produces hundreds of performances and events annually in its three spaces: the 515-seat Downstairs Theatre, the 299-seat Upstairs Theatre and the 80-seat 1700 Theatre. Artistic programing includes a seven-play season; a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season; Visiting Company engagements; and LookOut, a multi-genre performances series. Education initiatives include the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf for Young Adults, which engages 14,000 participants annually from Chicago's diverse communities; the esteemed School at Steppenwolf; and Professional Leadership Programs for arts administration training. Steppenwolf's own Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks serves coffee, cocktails and a menu curated in partnership with the Boka Restaurant Group day and night. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, nearly 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director and David Schmitz is the Executive Director. Eric

Lefkofsky is Chair of Steppenwolf's Board of Trustees. For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

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