Displaying items by tag: A Slow Air

It’s Athol’s turn to speak. The lights have come up on his side of the stage and Morna fades into the dark background. Athol is sharing details about his nephew, Josh’s, visit. In this particular memory, Athol and Josh are having lunch at a pub. The conversation remains surface-level at the beginning. Athol and Josh’s mother, Morna, have not been on speaking terms for some time, and Josh seems to understand that it’s complicated. Then Josh shares that his mother was sick, and Athol is taken aback.

“You could have told me.”

“…You could have asked.”

The change in Athol’s demeanor is subtle, and Peter Moore plays that nuance beautifully. There is a small, quick pause before Athol changes the subject and continues on with the conversation. However, it’s clear that Athol is uncomfortable with Josh’s critique – especially because he knows Josh is right. Relationships are a two-way street, and this standoff between Morna and Athol has to end eventually. The question is, who is going to make the first move?

Written by David Harrower, A Slow Air is a two-hander that follows Athol (Peter Moore) and Morna (Kendra Thulin). The siblings have not spoken in years, and despite how close they live to each other, neither has taken a step forward to try and mend the relationship. Harrower’s play features a series of monologues from each of the characters. Over the course of the play, we hear each of their personal accounts of why the relationship is so estranged, and what each may need in order to overcome all the pain of the past.

Cleverly directed by Robin Witt, A Slow Air is deeply moving. Scenic Designer Sotirios Livaditis embraces the intimacy at the Edge Theater Off-Broadway – creating a playing space for the actors that leaves very little distance between the audience and themselves. The stage itself features a hallway with two doors – two entrances that are only used at the beginning and end of the play when the actors enter and exit. You may even find as an audience member that you almost feel like a scene partner in the story – a much-needed confidant as the characters muddle through their troubles. With so little to distract from the actors on stage, Witt lifts up the words themselves, inviting the audience into this estranged relationship. You may find yourself leaning in at times, feeling almost tempted to shake one of the characters into a different decision that could bring some healing.

It is no easy task to carry such an emotional play – especially with the added challenge of no breaks and only speaking in monologues to the audience. However, Thulin and Moore rise to the challenge with ease. The performances are genuine, and Harrower’s exploration of the relationship feels authentic and thoughtful. Family can be tough, and sometimes, the path to healing can take time – a journey that many in the audience are likely to understand.

Strong performances and clever directing make A Slow Air a night of emotional curiosity. Steep Theatre is often known for their grounded, thought-provoking productions. You just might find is a perfect addition to that list.

RECOMMENDED

A Slow Air runs through March 1, 2025 at the Edge Theater Off-Broadway – 1133 W Catalpa Avenue. See the Steep Theatre website for further information regarding tickets.

Steep Theatre will kick off the new year with the Chicago Premiere of David Harrower's A Slow Air, directed by Steep Ensemble Member Robin Witt. Witt was at the helm for Steep's recent critically-acclaimed production of Samuel D. Hunter's A Case for The Existence of God, which enjoyed a sold-out run at the Edge Off Broadway this past summer.  Steep will be back at the Edge Off Broadway for this production, beginning January 24th. Ticket sales begin on November 19 with prices ranging from $20 - $45.  

A Slow Air will feature Steep Ensemble Members Peter Moore and Kendra Thulin as a pair of estranged siblings brought together through a remarkable string of events to reckon with memories of lives lived together and apart. Director Witt, Moore, and Thulin first worked together in 2010 on Steep's hit U.S. Premiere of Simon Stephens' Harper Regan and have since collaborated on notable Steep productions Light Falls, Linda, Wastwater, Motortown, and Pornography. 

Playwright David Harrower won the Olivier Award for Best New Play for his 2007 work Blackbird, which has enjoyed productions all around the world, including a 2016 Tony Award-winning Broadway revival at the Belasco Theatre and a acclaimed production at Chicago's Victory Gardens, directed by Dennis Zacek and featuring Mattie Hawkinson and William L. Peterson.  A Slow Air will be Steep's second production of Harrower's work, having previously produced his Kill the Old Torture Their Young in 2009. 

About Steep Theatre
Founded in 2000 by three actors, Steep has grown into a dynamic ensemble of forty-five theatre artists, supported by a dedicated and inspired team of arts administrators and community members.  Described by Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune as "the most fearless theater in town", Steep creates powerful productions of plays by today's most exciting writers and features the work of Chicago's hottest theatre artists in an intimate, accessible space. Steep is known as a home for hard-hitting, finely-tuned ensemble work. With each production, the company has shepherded a growing community of audiences and artists into bold new territories of story and performance. Steep Theatre is committed to creating an inclusive and anti-racist environment for making and watching theatre. To learn more, please visit https://steeptheatre.com/antiracism.

Steep is in the midst of its Lights Up Edgewater Capital Campaign to support the creation of Steep's new theater and artistic home and to fund robust and equitable compensation for artists and staff. To learn more about this campaign, please visit www.steeptheatre.com/lightsup.

Production Information

The Chicago Premiere of
A Slow Air
Written by David Harrower
Directed by Robin Witt
January 24 - March 1, 2025

Artists 

David Harrower (Playwright) was born in Edinburgh in 1966. His first play, Knives in Hens, was first produced in 1995 at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. He is also the author of the plays Kill the Old Torture Their Young (1998), and The Chrysalids (1999), adapted from John Wyndham's novel for the National Theatre's Connections project. Presence (2001), his third original play, was first performed at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Upstairs in April 2001. David Harrower has also adapted versions of Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author (Six Characters in Looking for an Author), first staged at the Young Vic in 2000; Chekhov's Ivanov (2002), performed at the National Theatre in autumn 2002; and Buchner's Woyzech, performed at the Edinburgh Lyceum in 2002. He has also translated The Girl on the Sofa (2002), a play by Jon Fosse, presented in a joint production by the Edinburgh International Festival and the Schaubuhne, Berlin. His play Dark Earth (2003) premiered at the Traverse in August 2003. He has also written a new version of Odon von Horvath's Tales from the Vienna Woods (2003) for the National Theatre, London, which opened in October 2003. His play Blackbird (2005) was commissioned by the Edinburgh International Festival, and he has also written an adaptation of Schiller's Mary Stuart (2006). Harrower lives in Glasgow. 

Robin Witt (Director) has directed 13 plays for Steep including Samuel D. Hunter's A Case for the Existence of God, Simon Stephens's Light Falls, Harper Regan, and Wastwater, as well as Cordelia Lynn's Lela & Co for which she received a Jeff Award. She is an ensemble member at both Steep Theatre and Griffin Theatre in Chicago. Other theatres she has worked for include Steppenwolf, Goodman, Northlight, Writers Theatre, Lookingglass and The Artistic Home. Witt is a Professor of Directing at UNC Charlotte and she holds a MFA from Northwestern University. She is the daughter of the late actor Howard Witt.

WHERE:               
The Edge Off Broadway
1133 W Catalpa Ave, Chicago, IL 60640 

WHEN:
January 24 – March 1, 2025
Previews: January 18, 19 & 23, 2025
Press Opening: Friday, January 24, 2025 at 7:30pm

Schedule: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 7:30 pm | Sunday matinees at 3 pm

Accessible Performances: To be announced 

Contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 773-649-3186 for more information. 

GENERAL INFORMATION:        

Web: www.steeptheatre.com

Phone: 773-649-3186

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Steep Theatre Company

1044 W Berwyn Ave. 

Chicago, Illinois 60640 

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