Steppenwolf Theatre's Chicago Premiere of THE FLICK Begins Tonight

Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the highly anticipated Chicago premiere production of Annie Baker's The Flick, winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Directed by Dexter Bullard, the cast features Will Allan, Danny McCarthy, Caroline Neff and Travis Turner. The Flick runs tonight, February 4, through May 8, 2016 in the Upstairs Theatre. Tickets ($20 - $89) are now on sale through Audience Services (1650 N Halsted), 312-335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

Three underpaid employees sweep up stale popcorn in a run-down movie house called The Flick, one of the last theaters in Massachusetts still projecting 35mm films. For Avery, this isn't a dead-end job. It's a way to get closer to the art form he loves. Passionate debates about cinema lead to a friendship of sorts with co-workers Sam and Rose. But will their tentative bond survive as they reveal what they actually need from each other? The Flick is a heartfelt cry for the kind of authentic connection we all want, even if we're a little afraid of it.

Described as "one of the freshest and most talented dramatists to emerge Off Broadway in the past decade" (New York Times),Annie Baker makes her Steppenwolf debut with The Flick. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Susan Smith Blackburn Award and Obie Award for Playwriting, The Flick premiered at Playwrights Horizons in 2013. Baker's other notable works include The Aliens (Obie Award for Best New American Play), Body Awareness and Circle Mirror Transformation (Obie Award for Best New American Play), which Dexter Bullard directed at Victory Gardens Theater in 2011.

Dexter Bullard has directed for Steppenwolf's First Look Repertory of New Work, but makes his directorial debut on the mainstage with The Flick. Recent directing credits include the critically acclaimed production of Sucker Punch at Victory Gardens Theater, Big Meal at American Theatre Company and Craig Wright's Grace at Northlight Theatre. He was awarded the 2004 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Direction Off-Broadway for ensemble member Tracy Letts's Bug at The Barrow Street Theater as well as a Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Director. He is the head of Graduate Acting and Showcase Artistic Director with The Theatre School at DePaul University.

The complete cast for The Flick features Will Allan as Skylar/The Dreaming Man, Danny McCarthy as Sam, Caroline Neff as Rose and Travis Turner as Avery. Neff performed in last season's critically acclaimed premiere Airline Highway by Lisa D'Amour at Steppenwolf and on Broadway. She is an ensemble member at Steep Theatre Company, and was voted the 2015Chicago Readers' Pick for "Best Actress." Allan performed in the sold-out run of Steppenwolf for Young Adults' production of George Orwell's Animal Farm last season, as well as other roles at the Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre and American Theatre Company. McCarthy, a longtime company member of A Red Orchid Theatre, last performed at Steppenwolf in Middletown in 2011. His television credits include Prison Break, ER and Chicago Fire, and film credits include Fred Claus, Stranger Than Fiction and Transformers 3. Turner, who has performed at Goodman Theatre, Court Theatre, Marriott Theatre and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, will be making his Steppenwolf debut. Earlier this year he performed in Second City's sixth visiting production at The Woolly Mammoth, Let Them Eat Chaos.

The production team includes Jack Magaw (scenic design), Alison Siple (costume design), Keith Parham (lighting design) and Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen (sound design). Additional credits include Jessamyn Fuller (casting); Christine D. Freeburg (stage manager) and Jonathan Nook (assistant stage manager).

20 for $20: Twenty $20 tickets are available for subscription shows on the day of the performance at 11am (Mon - Sat) and 1pm (Sun), by phone only at 312-335-1650. Limit 2 per person.

Rush Tickets: Half-price rush tickets are available one hour before each show.

Student Discounts: Limited $15 student tickets are available online. (Limit 2 tickets. Must present a valid student ID for each ticket). For additional student discounts, visitsteppenwolf.org/students.

Group Tickets: All groups of 10 or more receive a discounted rate for any performance throughout the season.

Audience Services Single tickets are now on sale

1650 N Halsted St, 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org

Ameriprise Financial, PEAK6 and Razorfish are the Corporate Production Sponsors of The Flick.

Steppenwolf's 2015/16 Subscription Season includes the world premiere adaptation of John Steinbeck's East of Eden, adapted by ensemble member Frank Galati, directed by co-founder Terry Kinney (September 17 - November 15, 2015); the Chicago premiere of Domesticated written and directed by ensemble member Bruce Norris (December 3, 2015 - February 7, 2016); the Chicago premiere of The Flick by Annie Baker, directed by Dexter Bullard (February 4 - May 8, 2016); the world premiere of Mary Page Marlowe by ensemble member Tracy Letts, directed by Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro (March 31 - May 29, 2016); and the Chicago premiere of Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis, directed by ensemble member Yasen Peyankov (June 23 - August 21, 2016).

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 44 actors, writers and directors. Artistic programming at Steppenwolf includes a five-play Subscription Season, a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season, First Look, a new play development series and Visiting Company engagements. 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, Galway 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 12 Tony Awards. Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director and David Schmitz is the Managing Director. Nora Daley is Chair of Steppenwolf's Board of Trustees. For additional information, visit www.steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre and twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr.

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