SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE, BLACKTOP SKY and More Set for Steppenwolf Theatre's GARAGE REP 2013, Beg. 2/15

Performances of Steppenwolf Theatre Company's fourth annual Garage Rep are scheduled to begin February 15, 2013, featuring Bailiwick Chicago's See What I Wanna See, Buzz22 Chicago's She Kills Monsters and Theatre Seven of Chicago's BlackTop Sky.

Under the leadership of Steppenwolf Associate Producer Jacob Padrón, these innovative storefront companies perform in rotating repertory for a ten-week run through April 21, 2013 (Press Performances are March 2, 2013). Performances are scheduled Wednesday through Friday at 8pm, and Saturday and Sunday at 4pm and 8pm in The Steppenwolf Garage (1624 N Halsted St); a full performance schedule follows. Single tickets ($20) and three-play passes ($45) are on sale now through Audience Services (1650 N Halsted St), 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org.

"With this year's Garage Rep, all three shows have a unique voice but their methodology, imagination, and commitment to company are reminiscent of Steppenwolf's early storefront past. This year's rep includes our first ever chamber musical; the fantasy world of Dungeons & Dragons; and a reunion with playwright Christina Anderson," comments Associate Producer Jacob Padrón. "In addition, we're introducing our new late-night series The After Party, an eclectic lineup of artists including Chicago's best rare soul DJs. Steppenwolf continues its ongoing work of making the Garage an exciting home for new work, emerging artists and millennial audiences."

Steppenwolf Theatre Company's Garage Rep 2013 Line-up
(All plays, artists and dates are subject to change)

Bailiwick Chicago presents
See What I Wanna See
Words and Music by Michael John LaChiusa
Directed by Lili-Anne Brown
Music Direction by James Morehead
Featuring Harter Clingman, Sharriese Hamilton, Evan Tyrone Martin, Peter Oyloe and Danni Smith

Michael John LaChiusa's three-part musical explores lust, greed, murder and redemption through the stories of a 1950s murder noir, a priest's crisis of faith, and the final tryst of two lovers. A lush musical score combining jazz, pop, classical and Asian influences drives the story telling in this virtuosic piece named by New York Magazine as one of the Best Musicals of 2005.

The creative team for See What I Wanna See includes Lizzie Bracken (scenic design), Samantha C. Jones (costume design), Lee Keenan (lighting design) and Cody Reynolds (sound design). Additional credits include Geoff Bleeker (associate producer), Michael Driscoll (assistant director) and Heather Stuck (stage manager).

Bailiwick Chicago (Lili-Anne Brown, Artistic Director; Kate Garassino, Executive Director; Eric Martin, Creative Director; Michael Harnichar, Managing Director) is a non-profit professional company with a mission to produce contemporary musicals and plays, reinvent classic musicals and develop new work, while sharing a powerful and authentic theatrical experience. We celebrate and engage our community through diverse programming, artistic partnerships and outreach opportunities. In just two seasons, Bailiwick Chicago has garnered 28 award nominations, including 10 Non-Equity Jeff Award nominations in their first Jeff-eligible season (2011/12). bailiwickchicago.com.

Buzz22 Chicago presents the Midwest premiere of
She Kills Monsters
By Qui Nguyen
Directed by Scott Weinstein
Featuring Katherine Banks, Rinska Carrasco-Prestinary, Daeshawna Cook, Fred Geyer, Jessica London-Shields, Allie Long, Morgan Maher, Jose Nateras, Ellie Reed, Sara Sawicki and Richard Traub

Agnes's life is turned upside down when she stumbles upon her late sister's Dungeons & Dragons notebook. As she embarks on an action-packed quest to save her sister's soul, Agnes comes face to face with homicidal fairies, raunchy ogres and blood thirsty cheerleaders, and discovers a side of herself she never knew existed. Qui Nguyen's touching comedy combines real life, fantasy and 90's pop culture in the search for the badass in us all.

The creative team for She Kills Monsters includes William Boles (scenic design), Rachel Goldberg (costume design), Lee Keenan (lighting design), Daniel Carlyon (sound design), Matt Deitchman (composer), Chuck Coyl (fight director) and Lori Buchanan (dance choreography). Additional credits include Colleen Werle (puppetry design), Sarah Fornace, Drew Dir and Julia Miller of Manual Cinema (shadow puppet design), Alex Tey (gore design, assistant fight director), Jamie Karas (properties master), Mary Hungerford (production manager) and Christopher Leck (stage manager).

Buzz22 Chicago (Scott Weinstein and Sara Sawicki, Co-Artistic Directors; Philip de Guzman, Managing Director) was founded by seven Northwestern University graduates in 2010. Since then, Buzz22 has staged four productions, including the Midwest premiere of Residue by Joel Sinensky and Quake by Melanie Marnich, performed in repertory at Royal George Theatre. The company seeks to provide a home for up-and-coming artists in the Chicago area. Buzz22 stages stories to explore the constant coming of age: the ever-occurring moments that challenge who we are and who we want to be. buzz22chicago.com.

Theatre Seven of Chicago presents
BlackTop Sky
By Christina Anderson
Directed by Cassy Sanders
Featuring Kristin E. Ellis, Eric Lynch and Julian Parker

BlackTop Sky examines the intersection of love, violence and community inside an institution with a haunting Chicago legacy: the public housing project. After witnessing police rough up a fellow resident of the projects, 18-year-old Ida befriends a young homeless man who sleeps on a nearby bench. As their unlikely friendship grows, will it strengthen her connection to home or drive her away in search of a new life?

The creative team for BlackTop Sky includes Lizzie Bracken (scenic design), Brenda Winstead (costume design), Lee Keenan (lighting design) and Chris LaPorte (sound design). Additional credits include Paige Collins (assistant director), Stephen Wisegarver (fight choreographer), Jennifer McClendon (production manager), Toni Kendrick (properties master) and Taylor Fenderbosch (stage manager).

Theatre Seven of Chicago (Brian Golden, Managing Artistic Director; Cassy Sanders, Associate Artistic Director) produces work that explores the diverse Chicago experience. Since 2007, the company has produced 17 standout offerings, greeted 13,000 audience members, paid 200+ artists for their contributions, earned nominations for three Jeff Awards and two Black Theatre Alliance Awards and won the 2012 Emerging Theatre Award. The company's noted world premieres include The Chicago Landmark Project, We Live Here, Diversey Harbor, Yes, This Really Happened To Me and Cooperstown. Theatre Seven also hosts a robust menu of auxiliary programming, including a monthly reading series, Shikaakwa. theatreseven.org.

Single tickets ($20) and three-play passes ($45) to Garage Rep 2013 are currently on sale through Audience Services (1650 N Halsted St), 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org. Student Discounts: a limited number of $15 student tickets are available online using promo code "GARAGEREP15". 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.

Since the inaugural repertory in 2010, Garage Rep has brought the work of nine storefront theater companies in Chicago to the Steppenwolf stage, including: Hit the Wall by The Inconvenience, Oohrah! by LiveWire Chicago and He Who by Theatre Zarko in 2012; Heddatron by Sideshow Theatre Company, The Three Faces of Doctor Crippen by The Strange Tree Group and Sonnets for an Old Century by UrbanTheater Company in 2011; and The Twins Would Like To Say by Dog & Pony Theatre Company, punkplay by Pavement Group and Adore by XIII Pocket in 2010. Garage Rep 2013 marks the fourth annual series, adding Bailiwick Chicago, Buzz22 Chicago and Theatre Seven of Chicago to the distinguished list of Garage Rep participants.

Garage Rep 2013 also features The After Party, a line-up of late-night, cross-genre performances, every Thursday nights starting March 7. Curated by Steppenwolf Associate Producer Jacob Padrón, The After Party includes performances by Salonathon; experimental rock trio, Paper Mice; genre-bending classical musicians, Spektral Quartet; solo performer and spoken word artist Shannon Matesky; Route 66 Theatre Company; comedy-variety show, The City Life Supplement; and soul dance party, Windy City Soul Club.

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 43 actors, writers and directors. Artistic programming at Steppenwolf includes a five-play Subscription Season, a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season and three repertory series: First Look Repertory of New Work, Garage Rep and Next Up. 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 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 nine Tony Awards. Martha Lavey is the Artistic Director and David Hawkanson is the Executive Director. Nora Daley is Chair of Steppenwolf's Board of Trustees. For additional information, visit facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre and twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr.

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