Steep Theatre to Open Season with Premiere of Hamish Linklater's THE CHEATS

Steep Theatre is thrilled to launch their 15th season with the world premiere of Hamish Linklater's The Cheats. Mr. Linklater, a celebrated and award-winning stage and film actor, made his playwriting debut in 2013 with the well-regarded piece The Vandal, which enjoyed an extended Off-Broadway run with the Flea Theater in New York City and subsequently made its Midwest premiere at Steep Theatre in October of 2014. The Cheats, Mr. Linklater's much-anticipated second play after his promising debut, explores the way that we can hastily judge others while refusing to acknowledge our own flaws. The production will be helmed by one of Chicago's most sought after directors, Steep Ensemble Member Joanie Schultz. The Cheats opens on October 1st at Steep's Edgewater theatre, where the company has put together a string of hits, while bringing new work and new voices to Chicago.

Mr. Linklater visited Steep this past fall to attend their production of The Vandal and, while in town, the company presented readings of two of his scripts that were still in development. One of these scripts would become The Cheats, and when Mr. Linklater expressed interest in further developing it with Steep, the company leapt at the opportunity. "The Vandal was a remarkable playwriting debut," said Steep Artistic Director Peter Moore, "and with The Cheats, Hamish is poised to establish himself as one of the most intriguing and exciting voices in theatre today. We're all thrilled to have the opportunity to help bring it to the world."

Steep's production of Linklater's The Vandal was lauded as one of the more memorable of the year by Kerry Reid of the Chicago Tribune, while Kelly Kleiman of The Dueling Critics called it "a debut any writer would envy". The Vandal was nominated for Jeff Awards for Best Actress (Kendra Thulin) and Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Jack Miggins), and recently received a Time Out Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor (Miggins).

Director Joanie Schultz has directed Steep's Jeff nominated/winning productions The Receptionist, A Brief History of Helen of Troy, and In Arabia We'd All Be Kings, along with recent notable Chicago productions of Venus in Fur at the Goodman Theatre and The Whale at Victory Gardens Theater, where she serves as Associate Artistic Producer.

Hamish Linklater has worked extensively as an actor on the stage and in television and film. On television, he starred in the CBS comedy series The Crazy Ones and has appeared in 5 Days to Midnight and Live From Baghdad, as well as The Good Wife, The Newsroom, and The New Adventures of Old Christine. His film work includes 42, The Angriest Man in Brooklyn, Lola Versus, Beyond Redemption and Battleship, as well as Woody Allen's Magic in the Moonlight. Mr. Linklater's stage acting credits include many Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. His versatility as a theatre artist is mirrored by Steep company member Brad Akin. Mr. Akin, who is usually sitting in the director's chair, will be joining his fellow company members onstage in The Cheats, acting on Steep's stage after a near 10-year hiatus. These versatile artists working together to help bring The Cheats' world premiere to life represent the essence of what Steep Theatre sets out to accomplish; the desire to give a voice to bold, new work in a way that makes it accessible to a broad spectrum of audiences.

The Cheats will feature Steep founding member and Artistic Director Peter Moore (Brilliant Adventures, The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle, Motortown, Pornography) and recently Jeff nominated Steep company member Kendra Thulin (The Vandal, The Knowledge, Harper Regan). Steep company member and director Brad Akin will return to the stage after last appearing in the 2008 production of Breathing Corpses, and Steep company member and Managing Director Julia Siple (The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle, A Small Fire, Motortown, Moment) will round out the production's four-person cast.

Steep Theatre has become known as a home for hard-hitting, finely tuned ensemble work. With each production, the company has shepherded a growing community of audiences and artists into bold new territories of story and performance. Over the years, Steep productions have been named in TimeOut Chicago's Top Ten Shows of the Year list five times, the Tribune's Top Ten List twice, the Tribune's Best of the Fringe list twice, the Sun Times' best of the year list twice, and WBEZ's Top Ten Shows of the Decade. Steep has received 24 Jeff Nominations and has won the 2009 Jeff Award for Best Ensemble, the 2010 Jeff Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, the 2011 Jeff Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and the 2015 Jeff Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Steep was named the 2010 Broadway in Chicago Emerging Theatre Award Winner.

The Cheats runs Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8pm from Oct 1st through November 7th. The performance on Saturday, October 24th will be a 3pm matinee. Sunday matinee performances are scheduled for October 11th and 18th and November 1st at 3pm. Tickets range from $10 to $35. 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.

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