William Petersen Stars Alongside Rae Gray in Steppenwolf Theatre's SLOWGIRL, Now thru 8/25

This summer, Steppenwolf ensemble member-and former artistic director--Randall Arney returns to Chicago to stage Greg Pierce's hit play, Slowgirl, which premiered at Lincoln Center Theater in 2012. Arney reunites with fellow ensemble member William Petersen in the role of Sterling (the two first appeared on stage together in Steppenwolf's 1980 production of Balm in Gilead); the two-hander also includes Rae Gray (The Book Thief) as Becky. A playwright with "impressive writing chops" who "builds suspense, releases tension through laughs and grabs your attention with life-or-death stakes" (NY1), Pierce's plays later travels to Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, where Arney currently serves as artistic director, as part of the 2013/14 season.

Slowgirl begins previews tonight, July 18, 2013 (opening night is July 28; press performances are July 27 at 3pm and July 31 at 7:30pm) and runs through August 25 in Steppenwolf's Upstairs Theatre. Tickets ($20 - $78) are on sale now through Audience Services (1650 N Halsted St), 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org.

In the wake of a harrowing accident at a house party in Massachusetts, a teenager flees to her uncle's isolated retreat in the Costa Rican jungle to await, or avoid, the repercussions. As the reclusive Sterling (Petersen) and his impulsive niece, Becky (Gray), get reacquainted over the course of a week, startling details about their pasts slowly unfold. Performed in the newly configured intimate Upstairs Theatre, Slowgirl is a compelling story about owning your past-and getting on with your life.

"My guess is that, like both characters in Slowgirl, we all of us harbor some degree of shame or guilt or regret about some action of our earlier life. How do we gain forgiveness? How do we forgive ourselves?" asks Artistic Director Martha Lavey. "I think Slowgirl would suggest that our great release is in the compassionate witness of another. When we stop hiding out and, as Sterling does, as Becky does, we re-enter the world."

The production team for Slowgirl includes: Takeshi Kata (scenic design), Janice Pytel (costume design), Daniel Ionazzi (lighting design) and Richard Woodbury (sound design and original music). Additional credits include: Erica Daniels (casting), Laura D. Glenn (stage manager) and Brianna Perry(production assistant).

Tickets to Slowgirl ($20 - $78) are currently on sale through Audience Services (1650 N Halsted St), 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org. 20 for $20: twenty $20 tickets are available through Audience Services beginning at 11am on the day of each performance (1pm for Sunday performances). 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 using promo code "SLOWGIRL15". 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.

Free post-show discussions are offered after every performance in the Subscription Season. Steppenwolf is located near all forms of public transportation and is wheelchair accessible. Street and lot parking are available. Assistive listening devices and large-print programs are available for every performance.

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 12 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 steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre and twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr.

Upcoming productions at Steppenwolf include Belleville by Amy Herzog, directed by Anne Kauffman (June 27 - August 25, 2013) in the Downstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted St); and First Look Repertory of New Work, featuring Annie Bosh is Missing by Janine Nabers, directed by Shade Murray; Buena Vistaby Edith Freni, directed by ensemble member Tim Hopper; and The Gospel of Franklin by Aaron Carter, directed by Robert O'Hara (July 29 - August 25, 2013) in the Garage Theatre (1624 N Halsted St).

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