The Details

The Steep into 1113 Campaign will fund the renovation of the storefront adjacent to Steep’s theatre into a cabaret-style lounge at 1113 West Berwyn. An interior doorway will connect the lounge to our lobby, opening a new door to a welcoming space for conversation, performance, and enjoying the Steep experience. The lounge will include a full bar, comfortable sitting areas, additional bathrooms, and a small stage for music, storytelling, and other performance styles, widening the breadth of stories and art you‘ll be able to enjoy at Steep.

The renovation will include:

An additional artistic space for individual performances, script development workshops, greater community engagement, and other creative uses
A full-service bar to support patrons of Steep plays and performances in the lounge
Two new restrooms

Watch the Lounge Take Shape

Steep Into 1113: Photo Journal

March 19, 2018

After taking down the set for HINTER on Sunday, we took out all of the chairs and tables that made this room home. After over a year of rehearsals and meetings, 1113 W Berwyn is full of great theatre energy, and it's ready for a makeover.

March 20, 2018

That didn't take long! In the first day of work, crews pulled down the ceiling and removed the HVAC ductwork. We also learned that there was linoleum beneath that carpet in back.

March 22, 2018

That's right ... we're exposing the brick wall! And making a huge mess in the process.

March 23, 2018

It's the end of the first week of work, and things are looking great! The brick wall is beautiful, and those piles of 2x4s are ready for action.

March 27, 2018

The bathroom walls are going up! There'll be more privacy once there's drywall ... and a floor.

March 29, 2018

Framing out the bathroom walls is coming along well - we're even going to have a little bit of storage space up above!

April 2, 2018

They've framed out the bar! That's the part that holds up the plumbing and electrical work. Don't worry, it'll be much cozier when it's finished.

April 6, 2018

Part of our plan for transforming this open room into a cozy place for conversation is building architectural archways into the ceiling. It's fascinating to see how they're put together.

April 9, 2018

There were guys crawling around under the floor for much of the day, and that can only mean one thing - PLUMBING!

April 10, 2018

The shape of the room is really starting to come together. Those arches are going to be so cool!

April 14, 2018

It might not look like much has changed this week, but there's so much new plumbing under that floor!

April 26, 2018

Most of the work recently has been behind the scenes (or under the floor, as the case may be), but those archways sure do look nice all covered up!

May 4, 2018

It looks like nothing has happened this week, but au contraire! In addition to much work under the floor, the back door is now in its new location, and the door between 1113 and 1115 is almost ready to open.

May 9, 2018

The floor, ceiling and walls are all filled with insulation. It sounds so different in there now!

May 15, 2018

We have walls, and a ceiling, and light switches, and it’s really starting to feel like a room! Most exciting of all, we’ve opened the doorway between the lobby and the new space!

May 18, 2018

The archways are very excited to have their bricks in place!

May 23, 2018

The brick on the archways is done, and looking mighty fine. Tomorrow they’ll get started on the bathroom tile!

May 29, 2018

Why, yes, those are paint swatches on the wall! We’re going with a dark blue, which will really make the bricks pop. It’s going to be so cozy!

May 31, 2018

We have paint! There’s another coat or two coming, but it’s wonderful to have some color in the space.

June 6, 2018

Today the brick wall got a good scrubbing, and the bar and bathrooms got their sinks!

June 8, 2018

Having a floor really brings the room together!

June 18, 2018

Lighting fixtures sure do brighten the place up!

June 21, 2018

It’s all in the details now. There are a million tiny things to do, but we’re in the home stretch!

June 25, 2018

We have hot water, and we’re ready to start washing glasses!

July 2, 2018

A little more paint, and some finishing touches, and we’ll be ready for furniture.

July 10, 2018

We’ve taped out the location of our future shelving behind the bar. Soon we’ll have places to store glasses, bottles, and other fun stuff.

July 13, 2018

Shelving is in place, and furniture deliveries have started arriving. We’re in the home stretch!

July 19, 2018

We got the proverbial keys today! The contractors finished their work yesterday, and this morning we began assembling furniture.

July 24, 2018

The furniture is assembled, and we’re almost ready to go.

August 2, 2018

We’re ready for service! In less than five months we converted an empty storefront to a cozy room full of stories, songs, and conversations.

About the Expansion

Nine years ago we left our wonderfully quirky little storefront in Wrigleyville behind and opened the doors to a newly remodeled theatre on Berwyn Avenue. That defining moment in Steep’s history marked the beginning of an incredible period of growth for our company, opening new opportunities for artistry and storytelling and introducing our work to countless new audience members. For many of you, 1115 West Berwyn was your entry point to Steep, with its comfy blue chairs, welcoming yellow lobby, and now famous post-show receptions. Thanks to Steep’s growing community of artists, audience members, supporters, and neighbors, we’re now ready for our next big step and the opening of a new doorway into the Steep community for artists and audiences.

We’re excited to announce that we have leased the storefront adjacent to our theater and will be expanding Steep by remodeling this new storefront into a cabaret-style lounge at 1113 West Berwyn. An interior doorway will connect the lounge to our lobby, opening a new door to a welcoming space for conversation, performance, and enjoying the Steep experience. The lounge will include a full bar, comfortable sitting areas, additional bathrooms, and a small stage for music, storytelling, and other performance styles, widening the breadth of stories and art you‘ll be able to enjoy at Steep.

Steep’s ensemble and board simply could not be more excited about taking this step, and we’re thrilled that you’re here to take it with us. With Small Business Improvement Funding from the City of Chicago and generous support from leaders in the Steep Community we’ve secured a portion of the funding needed to complete the project. We hope you will share our enthusiasm for this thrilling opportunity and help to bring this space to life.

We are so proud to have you in the Steep community, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without you. It’s an honor to share this thrilling moment of growth and expansion with you as we work together to tell stories that incite conversation and open our doors to new people and new opportunities.

Be a Leader

Inspirational leadership support of $1,000 or more has been provided by:

Dave Bartusek
Casey Blass & Lee Manford
Dave Bock
Reid & Jennifer Quinn Broda
Dean & Caroline Browell
Susan Burland & George Plumb
Ken Burlington
Carpenter Financial
The City of Chicago Small Business Improvement Fund
Holly & David Collins
Kassie Davis & Bruce Beatus
Sonya Dekhtyar
The Edgewater Chamber of Commerce
Kelly Fitzgerald
Sara Foster & Adam Levy
Gregg Gilman
Susan & Peter Gray
Dorothy Harza
Leigh & John Hourihane
Peter James
Stephen H. Johnson
Rita & Jim Knox
Kerry & Kenny Lassus
Shana Lowitz & William Swaim, M.D.
Ted Lowitz
Susie MacLean
Cooper Melgreen
Barbara & Ed Mills
Anne Marie Dumas Mitchell
Anne & Richard Moore
Jennifer & Peter Moore
Kate Moore
Margaret & Peter Morris
James T. O'Neill
Amanda & Doug Passmore
PepsiCo
Jon and Catherine Putnam
Melissa & Jeff Riemer
Ted Ries
Debra & Alan Rosenberg
Gregory Rothman
Mike J Salinas
Karen & Frank Schneider
Jessica & Christoph Schrey
Elisabeth Rose & Owen Shapiro
Hope & Jeff Sheffield
Kate Welborn & Ann McGill
Anna Wermuth & Alex Gillmor
Lisa & Randy White

Join this illustrious group and help lead Steep into a bright future.