Melissa Riemer, James Allen and Julia Siple Cast in Steep Theatre's A SMALL FIRE, Running Now thru 8/16

Adam Bock's A Small Fire is, at it's heart, a story about family coming together and being ripped apart by the challenges of life. The Steep family has come together to bring this story to the stage. Under the direction of Steep Artistic Associate Joanie Schultz, A Small Fire will feature performances by three Steep Company Members: Melissa Riemer, James Allen and Julia Siple.

Melissa Riemer is a company member at Steep Theatre. Most recently, she appeared as Aunt Sister in Cicada with Route 66 Theatre Company. Her other Steep productions include Moment, Under the Blue Sky, Festen, Harper Regan, 2,000 Feet Away, Book Of Days (Jeff Nomination ­ Best Ensemble) and Catch-22. Other Chicago credits include Her Naked Skin (Shattered Globe Theatre), Start Fair In The Common Race (What's Up Next Lab at Next Theatre), Mrs. Antrobus in Backstage Theatre's production of The Skin Of Our Teeth (Jeff Nomination ­ Best Supporting Actress), and the Griffin Theatre's productions of The Hostage, Letters Home (Chicago production/National Tour), and Picnic (also at Theatre On The Lake). London credits include The Lost Vegas Series (Riverside Studios), An Empty Plate In The Café du Grand Boeuf (New End Theatre) and Time And The Conways (Drayton Court Theatre). Melissa trained at the Drama Studio London.

James Allen, also a Steep company member, has appeared at Steep in Moment, Feston, Incident at Vichy, Book of Days, Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Bang the Drum Slowly, Otherwise Engaged and more.

Julia Siple, a Steep Company Member and Steep's Managing Director, most recently appeared as Marley in Steep's production of Motortown and as Ciara in Moment. Prior Steep shows include Love and Money, Under the Blue Sky, 2000 Feet Away, Festen and Harper Regan. Julia has worked with numerous theater companies around Chicago including Viaduct, TUTA, Strawdog, Circle, Griffin, and Uffish. She is a holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Michigan.

Robert Koon is appearing on Steep's stage for the first time. He was most recently seen in The Roper at The Den Theatre and At His Best for Cold Basement Productions, and has also recently appeared at the side project (The Kindness of Strangers, Choosing to be Here, People We Know), Chicago Dramatists (I Am Going to Change the World), and Sideshow Theatre (Heddatron). Robert is a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists, who recently produced his play Homecoming 1972. He is a member of The Dramatists Guild.

A Small Fire runs Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8pm from today, July 10th through August 16th. Sunday matinee performances are scheduled for July 20th, July 27th, August 3rd and August 10th at 3pm. Tickets range from $20 to $22. Reservations can be made by calling (866) 811-4111 or by visiting www.steeptheatre.com. Steep Theatre is conveniently located by the Berwyn Red Line stop and is within blocks of the #92, #36, #146, #147, and #151 buses.

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Director ­ Joanie Schultz**

Production Manager ­ Julia Siple*

Stage Manager ­ Ellen Willett

Set Design ­ Chelsea M. Warren**

Lighting Design ­ Heather Gilbert

Costume Design ­ Alison Siple**

Sound Design & Original Music ­ Thomas Dixon**

Prop Design ­ Andrew Lex

Technical Director ­ Julie Allen

Asst. Director ­ Arianna Soloway

Dramaturg ­ Kristin Leahey**

*Denotes Steep Company Member

** Denotes Steep Artistic Associate

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