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Greensboro: A Requiem Steep Theatre Company

Chicago Tribune's Chris Jones
"...a sincerely performed and quite provocative show from one of Chicago's up-and-coming theater companies, and it includes some moving moments, many from superb ensemble cast member Lily Mojekwu. Steep co-founder Peter Moore is dangerously charming as the notorious David Duke; Brendan Melanson fleshes out the most horrible kind of Klansman; and, as police informant Edward Dawson, Steep's Alex Gillmor superbly evokes one of those glib double-dealing sleezeballs who remain a dangerous pox on the American social landscape."

Chicago Reader, Kerry Reid
"...a threnody of sorrow, rage, and regret runs through the script, and Akin's cast captures it with grace and power."

ChicagoCritic.com
"Alec Gillmor, as the sociopath Edward Dawson, aptly depicts the coldly cruel methods of the Klan, the Nazi and the police and the FBI."

TimeOut's 4 STAR Review

Time Out Chicago / Issue 168 : May 15–21, 2008

Greensboro: A Requiem By Emily Mann. Dir. Brad Akin. With ensemble cast.

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On November 3, 1979, an anti–Ku Klux Klan rally was held in Greensboro, North Carolina, by members of the Communist Workers Party; with TV news cameras rolling, the protesters were attacked by members of the Klan and the American Nazi Party, who shot 13 people, killing five. On November 4, 1979, the Iranian hostage crisis began and the Greensboro massacre disappeared from the nation’s front pages. Mann’s docuplay attempts to give the incident the respect it deserves, and she’s largely successful.

Mann builds her play out of courtroom transcripts, news accounts and her own interviews with survivors, participants (Alex Gillmor plays both a Klan member and law-enforcement informer) and personalities like David Duke. A projection at the top of the show states that every word of dialogue was spoken by a real person.

The playwright makes a compelling case for the complicity of Greensboro police and the local FBI, but her best work is in laying out the human complexities and regrets. Survivors rue their naïveté and mourn their youthful idealism; a preacher notes the difference between the church and the divine; a Klan speaker says Louis Farrakhan should be a model for the KKK.

Akin’s fluid, minimalist staging allows the ensemble to shine, most in multiple roles; highlights include Peter Moore ranging from blithely bigoted Duke to a paralyzed survivor, and Lily Mojekwu’s nuanced takes on four women. But the play’s heart, oddly enough, is Gillmor’s chillingly straightforward, very human turn as its most unsympathetic character.

— Kris Vire

Greensboro Runs Thru June 14th

"Something happened in Greensboro, North Carolina,
I think you should know about."
November 3rd, 1979. Five demonstrators are shot and killed by members of the Nazi party and the KKK. The entire event is televised. No attacker is ever convicted. This is a story about violence, injustice, and the politics of race. This is the story of an American Tragedy.

This will be the first Chicago producction of Emily Mann's Greensboro: A Requiem and Steep Theatre's final production at their space on Sheridan until they move to their new location in the Fall.

Next Exit: Greensboro!

We Made It In The Edgewater Newsletter!

Edgewater Welcomes Steep Theatre
EDC is pleased to announce that Steep Theatre Company has chosen Edgewater for it's new home. We were pleased to work closely with Steep to find a home in Edgewater and add another amenity to the revitalizing Berwyn business district. In addition, EDC is helping Steep to identify sources of financial assistance to support the costs of building-out the space for their new home on Berwyn.

Peter Moore from Steep Theatre provides the following story about the move:

"After launching our search for a new theater in November 2007, Steep has signed a lease on a storefront space. Our new home is located at 1115 West Berwyn in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago. Plans are in place to open our 2008-2009 season in our new theater this Fall.

The Edgewater Development Corporation was a huge help in finding us a home in Edgewater. We're looking forward to continuing to work with them as we become part of the neighborhood.

The new site is nearly the twice the size of our current theater and will offer the sort of comfortable and professional performance space that our audience and artists deserve, while not sacrificing the intimacy that has been the trademark of Steep productions for years. We are very excited about this space and the growth we are poised to make in our new theater.

The space was formerly a small grocery store and has been vacant for years. While we have made great strides towards reaching our fundraising goals, there is a lot of work left to be done in order to realize the vision we have for our new theater."

To contribute and be a part of the new Steep Theatre, please click on the donation button to the right or send your donation to Steep Theatre Company, 5343 North Paulina, Chicago, IL 60640. We will also have some great fundraising events in the coming months. We hope you will be able to join us.

In the meantime, work continues at our Sheridan theater. We will conclude our 2007-2008 season and our tenure at 3902 North Sheridan with our production of Greensboro: A Requiem. This docu-drama by Tony Award winning playwright Emily Mann brings light to the events surrounding an anti-Ku Klux Klan rally that left 5 protesters dead in 1979. The show opens Thursday, May 8th and runs through Saturday, June 14th.

Watch what we do next!