HOOKMAN
By Lauren Yee, directed by Vanessa Stalling
Her mother warned her about the treacherous hook-handed man hiding in the back seat, but only after a tragic accident could Lexi see the real threat of the hookman. The bitingly funny, edge-of-your-seat scary Hookman is a lethally sharp slasher comedy about grief, adolescence, and the power of the stories we tell each other and ourselves.
Extended through June 3
Performance Schedule
Previews: April 15-19, 2017
Press Opening: April 20, 2017
Performances: April 20 - June 3, 2017
Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8pm
Sunday afternoons at 3pm
Full Performance Calendar
Accessibility
Audio Description and a Touch Tour will be available on Saturday, May 20.
Open Captioning will be available on Sunday, May 21.
Contact us at access@steeptheatre.com or 773-649-3186 for more information or to reserve tickets.
Running Time: 1 hour 15 minutes with no intermission
Production Sponsor: Ted Lowitz
Content Advisory: This production contains violence and sexual situations and is intended for adult audiences. For more detailed information on the play's content, please click here.
CAST:
Karen Isabel Rodriguez
Kiayla Ryann
Aja Wiltshire
Sasha Smith
James Doherty
Mary Tilden
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Director – Vanessa Stalling
Stage Manager – Lauren Lassus**
Set Design – Arnel Sancianco
Lighting Design – Pete Dully*
Sound Design & Original Composition – Jeffrey Levin
Costume Design – Mieka van der Ploeg
Props Design – Eleanor Kahn
Projection Design – Mark Comiskey
Violence & Gore Design – Jon Beal
Assistant Director – Dani Wieder
Assistant Stage Manager – Natalie Day
Production Manager – Catherine Allen
Technical Director – Alan Weusthoff
*Denotes Steep Company Member
**Denotes Steep Artistic Associate
In the Press
Three out of Four Stars
"high-end gore with a progressive twist.""
Hookman "...displays a sophisticated sense of how real-life horrors usually spring from the quotidian tasks of our everyday"
Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
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"I just think this is an incredibly smart piece about coming of age, and that in some ways the blood and gore is a metaphor for how painful it is to come from childhood into adulthood, and particularly for women. I would see it again…"
Kelly Kleiman, The Dueling Critics
Listen to the review.
"a string of uncannily excellent performances from Aja Wiltshire, Sasha Smith and Mary Tilden..."
Kevin Greene, NewCity Stage
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"Hookman at Steep Theatre succeeds in being terrifying and hilarious."
Nancy Bishop, Third Coast Review
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"...the talented ensemble interact with a natural authenticity."
Katy Walsh, The Fourth Walsh
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"Using a movie genre that primarily appeals to young men, playwright Lauren Yee (whose work is also currently represented in Chicago at the Goodman Theatre) has crafted a cleverly bizarre, female-driven 75-minute one-act that focuses on the lives of four young women and one scary dude sporting a hook."
Colin Douglas, Chicago Theatre Review
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"Between Jon Beal’s impressive violence and gore design and the stellar work of Mark Comiskey (who created the projection design), this play delivers at a level similar to those beloved slashers of the 80s."
Brent Ervin-Eickhoff, Picture This Post
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About Hookman
In April, Steep will produce the Midwest premiere of Lauren Yee’s Hookman. Yee, a San Francisco native, has had work produced around the country, including Chicago's Victory Gardens and The Goodman. Her plays The Tiger Among Us and King of the Yees were both featured on the 2015 Kilroys list, which showcases un- or under-produced plays by female and trans playwrights. Hookman has previously had a production at Encore Theatre in San Francisco and a reading at Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre in New York.
