Step Up Productions Launches 2014-15 Season with Chicago Premiere of DEAD ACCOUNTS By Theresa Rebeck Directed by Jason Gerace October 3 – November 2, 2014

Step Up Productions Launches 2014-15 Season with Chicago Premiere of DEAD ACCOUNTS By Theresa Rebeck Directed by Jason Gerace October 3 – November 2, 2014 1 Step Up Productions is pleased to launch its 2014-15 season with the Chicago premiere of Theresa Rebeck’s new comedy DEAD ACCOUNTS, directed by Jason Gerace (2014 Jeff Award, Best Director, Great Expectations), playing October 3 – November 2, 2014 at The Den Theatre – Mainstage, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago.  Tickets go on sale August 15, 2014 at www.stepupproductions.org or by calling (312) 316-8255. 

logoStep Up Productions is pleased to launch its 2014-15 season with the Chicago premiere of Theresa Rebeck’s new comedy DEAD ACCOUNTS, directed by Jason Gerace (2014 Jeff Award, Best Director, Great Expectations), playing October 3 – November 2, 2014 at The Den Theatre – Mainstage, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago.  Tickets go on sale August 15, 2014 at www.stepupproductions.org or by calling (312) 316-8255

DEAD ACCOUNTS features Elizabeth AntonucciMillie HurleyBradford LundSteve O’Connell and Emily Tate.

Jack’s unexpected return to Cincinnati after spending several years in New York throws his family into a frenzy – and his sister Lorna and mother Barbara want answers!  Is he in some sort of trouble? Where’s that wife everyone hates? And how did he get all that money?  Theresa Rebeck’s new comedy, which opened on Broadway in 2012, tackles the timely issues of corporate greed, small town values and whether or not your family will always welcome you back.

Partial proceeds from DEAD ACCOUNTS will benefit cancer support organization Imerman Angels. As part of its mission, Step Up Productions donates a portion of its proceeds to organizations in and around Chicago that support issues often highlighted in its productions.

The production team for DEAD ACCOUNTS includes: John Wilson (set design), Raquel Adorno (costume design), John Kelly (lighting design), Christopher Kriz (sound design), Danica Horton (props design), Tara Branham (casting director), Kristin Davis (asst. director), Elyse Estes (technical director), Janelle Bourdreau (master electrician) and Catherine Allen (production manager).

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title: DEAD ACCOUNTS

Playwright: Theresa Rebeck

Director: Jason Gerace

Cast: Elizabeth Antonucci (Jenny), Millie Hurley (Barbara), Bradford Lund (Phil), Steve O’Connell (Jack) and Emily Tate (Lorna).

Location:  The Den Theatre – Mainstage, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago

Dates:  Previews: Friday, October 3 at 7:30 pmSaturday, October 4 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, October 5 at 3 pm

Press performanceTuesday, October 7 at 7:30 pm

Regular run:  Thursday, October 9 – Sunday, November 2, 2014

Curtain Times:  Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm.

Tickets: Previews: $15. Regular run$30. $17 students (with current ID), $25 seniors, $20 rush tickets (one hour before curtain). Tickets go on sale August 14, 2015 at www.stepupproductions.org or by calling (312) 316-8255

About the Playwright:  

Theresa Rebeck is a widely produced playwright throughout the U.S. and abroad. New York productions of her work include Dead Accounts at the Music Box Theatre; Seminar at the Golden Theatre; Mauritius at the Biltmore Theatre in a Manhattan Theater Club Production; The Scene, The Water’s Edge, Loose Knit, The Family of Mann and Spike Heels at Second Stage; Bad DatesThe Butterfly Collection and Our House at Playwrights Horizons; The Understudy at the Laura Pels Theater in a Roundabout Theatre Company production; and View of the Dome at New York Theatre Workshop. Omnium Gatherum (co-written, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2003) was featured at the Humana Festival, and had a commercial run at the Variety Arts Theatre. Her newest work, Poor Behavior premiered at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in 2011. She is also the creator of the NBC television drama Smash.

About the Director:

Jason Gerace received the 2013-14 Non-Equity Jeff Award in Outstanding Direction for his production of Great Expectations at Strawdog Theatre Company; the production will be remounted this winter. He recently directed Profiles’ Midwest premiere of Wrecks, featuring John Judd. He has been the Artistic Associate of American Theater Company since 2008, where he directed It’s a Wonderful Life: The Radio Play from 2009-2012, and also Associate Directed the World premiere of The Big Meal (Dir. Dexter Bullard). Regional directing credits include Opus (RedTwist Theatre, Chicago) Hamlet (Oklahoma Shakespeare Chautauqua), A Christmas Carol (Oklahoma City Theatre Co). Jason originally hails from Anchorage, Alaska and holds an MFA in Directing from The University of Oklahoma, where he twice received the R.J. Jones Award for Excellence in Direction. He is an adjunct instructor at North Central College, in Naperville and an associate member of SDC.

Partner Charity for DEAD ACCOUNTS

Imerman Angels was created on the belief that no one should have to fight cancer alone and without the necessary support. Through its unique matching process, the organization partners anyone seeking cancer support with a “Mentor Angel” – a cancer survivor or survivor’s caregiver who is the same age, same gender, and most importantly who has faced the same type of cancer.  The service is absolutely free and helps anyone touched by any type of cancer, at any cancer stage level, at any age, living anywhere in the world.  These one-on-one relationships give a cancer fighter or caregiver the chance to ask personal questions and get support from someone who has been there before. Mentor Angels can lend support and empathy and help cancer fighters and caregivers navigate the system, determine their options and create their own support systems. Frequently, caregivers experience feelings similar to those of the person facing cancer. Mentor Angels can relate while being sensitive to the experience and situation. For additional information, visit www.imermanangels.org

About Step Up Productions

Step Up Productions is a non-profit theater company with a mission to communicate stories authentically, inspiring audiences to identify and embrace their own personal truths.

Step Up became a non-profit, in part, to better serve other non-profit organizations in and around Chicago that are committed to helping others become self sufficient. Step Up donates a portion of its proceeds to organizations that support issues often highlighted in its productions.

For additional information, visit www.stepupproductions.org.