steep’s new home at 1044 West Berwyn Avenue

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Now is the moment to make an impact, to create a beacon of art and light in Edgewater, and to be an integral part of the future of Steep Theatre.

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steep Theatre breaks ground on thursday, december 11

Steep Theatre will celebrate the start of construction on its new theater with a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, December 11th, 2025, at 10:30 AM. The company is set to begin the work of converting a former church into its new artistic home, which will feature a flexible 70-seat black box theater, a welcoming lobby-lounge for performance and community engagement, and dedicated, accessible spaces to support artists and staff. Steep’s new home is located at 1044 West Berwyn Avenue, in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago.

Steep’s new home has been made possible by the extraordinary generosity of Steep patrons and community, the Paul M. Angell Foundation, and the City of Chicago, which awarded Steep a grant of $3,868,535 to support the project.

The new Steep Theatre will be a dynamic theatrical venue that reflects the company’s commitment to fearless storytelling, inclusive collaboration, and community building. The company has prioritized universal design and physical accessibility and has partnered with Civic Projects Architecture, who has been recognized for their experience with community-oriented space, to design the theater. Steep has engaged Norcon, Inc. as General Contractor and CharcoalBlue as theater and venue consultants. Norcon and Charcoalblue partnered on Steppenwolf’s 2021 campus expansion. 

Over the past 25 years, Steep has distinguished itself as one of Chicago’s iconic ensemble-based storefront theatres. Called ‘the most fearless theater in town’ by the Chicago Tribune, the company has produced over 80 plays with remarkable critical and commercial success, earning 63 Jeff Award nominations, 12 Jeff Awards, and recognition on numerous “Best of” lists, including the Tribune's Top Ten Shows of the Year and WBEZ’s Top Ten Shows of the Decade.

From 2008 to 2020, Steep operated and produced in its storefront theater in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago. In June 2020, the building housing its theatre was sold for redevelopment. In 2022, Steep purchased a former Christian Science Reading Room two blocks from its previous location to build a permanent artistic home. The company has been producing itinerantly in rental venues as it prepares for construction.

The groundbreaking ceremony will take place in the parking lot of Steep’s building located at 1044 West Berwyn. There will be no parking on site.

Announcement: city of chicago increases grant to steep!

Steep is thrilled to report that the City Council met Thursday and approved an increase of $880,000 in grant funds for the construction of our new theater. These additional funds bring the City of Chicago’s total support of our project to $3,868,535 and will enable us to get the wheels moving on construction later this fall!

We’re overjoyed and honored by the city's investment in our company and profoundly grateful for all of the work by the Department of Planning & Development on our behalf and the continuous support of Alderwoman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth and the 48th Ward Office. 

“Our city's commitment to Chicago's storied theater community and its investment to ensure that the arts remain an integral part of our city’s bright future is inspiring,” shared Artistic Director, Peter Moore.  “We can’t wait to get to work on bringing a vital cultural and community hub back to Edgewater and the City of Chicago.”

"We're thrilled that Steep Theatre has found their forever home in Edgewater, and we look forward to having them back on Berwyn very soon! Edgewater has a vibrant theatre community with world class performances, and the Steep ensemble has been at the center of that community for over 20 years. Located next to the new Berwyn Red Line station, Steep Theatre will soon welcome theatre lovers from across the city once again. I am proud to support their investment in our community, and am looking forward to opening night!"
- Alderwoman Manaa-Hoppenworth

This is a giant step forward in our journey home and we thank you for all of your support and patience as we build the foundation for Steep’s next chapter. Stay tuned for updates on our construction and all of the exciting programming that lies ahead.

Our new home

It is an honor and thrill to share with you today renderings for our new Steep Theatre. Our team of ensemble and board members, architects, and consultants has been working tirelessly since acquiring 1044 West Berwyn to create an artistic home that embraces the best Steep traditions and serves and anticipates the needs and aspirations of our artists and community far into the future. 

The new Steep will feature an intimate, flexible 70-seat black box theater with advanced theatrical and technical capabilities; a lobby-lounge to welcome audiences, foster conversations between artists and audience, and host off-night programming and community events; and comfortable support spaces for our artists and staff.

Our community has carried us throughout this process. Your support and input have been inspiring and I'm grateful to you all for helping move our dream forward. Special thanks to our architects at Civic Projects and theater consultants at Charcoal Blue for being our partners in making our vision a reality.

This is a momentous milestone in Steep’s journey home. Thanks to the support of the City and your generosity, we have raised 90% of the funds necessary to complete this project. While there is still more to do, we have a lot to celebrate as construction is now mere weeks away. I look forward to sharing more news with you very soon, including information about our groundbreaking ceremony this spring.

With gratitude,

Peter Moore Ensemble Member & Artistic Director peter.moore@steeptheatre.com 773-649-3186 Support Steep Today!

For information about naming opportunities and multi-year gifts, please contact:
Executive Director, Marisa Macella
marisa@steeptheatre.com
(773) 649-3186

Mailing Address
PO Box 607415
Chicago, IL 60660

Steep Theatre is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, and all contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law. EIN: 36-4459659

Supporters

Steep is in position to purchase a building thanks in no small part to a group of generous friends of the company who have enthusiastically supported our search for a new home since moving on from 1115 West Berwyn. We are profoundly grateful!

This list includes gifts of $1,000 or more pledged or received by September 2025.

Land Acknowledgement

The area that we now call Chicago, including the piece of land where we plan to establish our next theatre, is the traditional homeland of the people of the Council of Three Fires. This area has long been a vibrant site of trade, life, and community-making for many Indigenous nations and is now home to 65,000 American Indian people. As the current occupants of this land, many of us are here as a legacy of the forced removal of Indigenous Peoples by a settler-colonial state.

As a step toward honoring this truth and achieving healing and reconciliation, we share this statement acknowledging the traditional Native lands on which we stand. Such statements become truly meaningful when coupled with authentic relationships and sustained commitment, and we encourage you to check out the work of organizations like The American Indian Center and to support native art and artists, organizers, activists, and people in our community.