The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle
A Midwest Premiere
By Ross Dungan, directed by Jonathan Berry
Getting hit by a truck was startling enough, but two days after his death Eric Argyle began to discover the profound impact of his seemingly inconsequential life. Ross Dungan's delightfully inspiring story illuminates the power of the stories we tell about ourselves and poses the question, “is there such a thing as a small life?”
January 22 - March 14, 2015
CAST:
Melissa Riemer*
Julia Siple*
Peter Moore*
Alex Gillmor*
Patricia Donegan*
Lucy Carapetyan
Tim Musachio
Pat Whalen
Norm Woodel
Jeff Duhigg
Ashley Neal
Brett Schneider
Grier Burke
Kylie Sullivan
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Director – Jonathan Berry**
Production Manager – Julia Siple*
Stage Manager – Jon Ravenscroft
Set Design – William Boles
Lighting Design – Pete Dully**
Costume Design – Emily McConnell**
Sound Design & Original Music – Matthew Chapman**
Prop Design – Maria DeFabo**
Technical Director – Alan Wuestoff
Asst. Director – Maggie Rogers
Dialect Coach – Eva Breneman
Audio Mixing and Percussion – Ryan Murray
Cellists – Benedikt Diemer & Jen Moore
*Denotes Steep Company Member
**Denotes Steep Artistic Associate
In the press
Jeff Recommended
"The thirteen-member Steep Theatre cast operating under the direction of Jonathan Berry...[navigates] their intricate text with agility and alacrity right up to a suspense-filled climax that will have theatergoing romantics sniffling into their hankies and the rest pretending not to."
- Mary Shen Barnidge, Windy City Times
"Eric Argyle may be remembered for its heart-melting qualities but it's the fortifying journey toward its conclusion that deserves high praise....{Dungan's] wonderful work will continue to reconfigure our thinking about theatre, each other and life as we know it."
- Kevin Greene, Chicago Stage Standard
"a show not to be missed...Jonathan Berry brings together a first-rate cast and crew to tell this story of the meaning we allow in our lives...touching and magical."
- Colleen Cottet, Edge Media
"[a] charmer...Dungan's clever script captivates...Director Jonathan Berry skillfully navigates a play with multiple moving elements and fourteen actors."
- Katy Walsh, The Fourth Walsh
"it's hard to rate one actor above the other, since the very nature of such a company is a collaborative effort..The real praise for this heart-warming piece lies with the director, Jonathan Berry, who manages to bring together a chorus of voices into one resounding affirmation of human relationships."
- Terence Boyle, Irish American News
About The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle
In 2012, Steep and Berry made big waves with their runaway hit premiere of Deirdre Kinahan’s Moment – the most recent Irish import to grace Steep’s stage. The production ran for 9 sold-out weeks at Steep’s Edgewater theater, before transferring to the larger Theater Wit for 5 additional weeks of near capacity crowds. Moment was nominated for Jeff Awards for Best Direction and Best Ensemble. Berry’s production of Eric Argyle continues Steep’s tradition of electrifying ensemble work with an impressive assemblage of 13 actors who come together to tell a story that transcends time and illuminates the connections between us all.
The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Arglye premiered in Ireland in 2012, produced by 15th Oak. The production enjoyed enormously successful runs at both the Dublin and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, before transferring to London’s Soho Theatre and New York’s 59E59. Eric Argyle was nominated for Best New Play at the Irish Times Theatre Awards in 2013 as well as the Stewart Parker Trust Award. Mr. Dungan won a prestigious Fringe First award for his first play Minute After Midday. He is one-third of the hugely successful Irish sketch-comedy group A Betrayal of Penguins and currently writes for RTE’s Fair City and Roy, as well as for a number of projects for Tilted Pictures.