Displaying items by tag: Dan Aibel

On Monday, May the 4th, Steep Theatre will present the first public staged reading of playwright Dan Aibel's new work The Making, a revisionist retelling of the story behind the film that would become a cultural phenomenon: George Lucas's Star Wars. The reading will be directed by Steep ensemble member Jonathan Berry and will be performed at the Edge Theater in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago. May the 4th is the unofficial international holiday honoring the Star Wars film franchise. 

A history play set in the 1970s, The Making visits husband and wife filmmakers George and Marcia at the beginning of new projects that will shape the creative landscape for a generation. The reading will feature Steep Ensemble Members Nate Faust, Ashlyn Lozano, Peter Moore, and others.

Playwright Dan Aibel's work has been developed and/or produced by American Theater Co., Stage Left Theatre, The New Group, P73, Rattlestick, Sundance, the Detroit Rep, Syracuse Stage and The Commissary with directors Daniel Aukin, Margot Bordelon and James Macdonald among others. A Sundance Theatre Lab fellow, winner of the Eileen Heckart Drama Prize and finalist for the P73 Playwriting Fellowship, the Jerome New York Fellowship and the Princess Grace Award, Dan's plays have been published by Smith & Kraus and Concord Theatricals.

Director Jonathan Berry is the Artistic Director of Raven Theater and served as Artistic Director of The Penobscot Theatre Company in Bangor, Maine, from 2022 to 2025. He is a proud ensemble member of both Steep Theatre and Griffin Theatre and a former Artistic Producer at Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Steep Credits include: Paris, Red Rex, Earthquakes in London, Posh, The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle, If There Is I Haven't Found it Yet, The Knowledge, Festen, Moment, The Hollow Lands and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.  He directed the Steppenwolf productions of: Lindiwe, The Children, You Got Older, Constellations, and the SYA productions of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, The Crucible, and A Separate Peace.  In 25 years, he's directed nearly 100 productions in Chicago. Most recently, he directed the Chicago premiere of Ugly Lies the Bone for Shattered Globe. He has taught acting, directing, and viewpoints at University of Michigan, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, Acting Studio Chicago, Columbia College and many of Chicago's professional acting schools. He taught viewpoints and served as the director for The School at Steppenwolf. 

WHAT:

The Making by Dan Aibel

Directed by Steep Ensemble Member Jonathan Berry

A history play set in the 1970s, The Making visits husband and wife filmmakers George and Marcia at the beginning of new projects that will shape the creative landscape for a generation. 

WHEN: 

Monday, May the 4th, 2026, 7:30PM

WHERE:

The Edge Theater

5451 North Broadway, Chicago, Illinois

The Making will be performed at the Edge Theater as Steep continues construction on its new home, targeted to open Fall of this year.

TICKET INFORMATION:

Tickets $10-$30 available at https://steeptheatre.com/the-making

The 90s really must be back because this is the second show about Tonya Harding and Nancy Karigan to debut in Chicago in the past year. American Theater Company's telling is a new play called "T" by Dan Aibel. "T" is a ninety-minute retelling of the infamous 1994 incident from the perspective of Tonya Harding's family. Margot Bordelon returned to Chicago to direct the conclusion of Will Davis' first as artistic director of American Theater Company.

"T" steers clear of camp and tabloid. What this play is essentially about is how much T, or Tonya Harding was worth to the people around her. In quick-moving scenes, Dan Aibel calculates all the ways in which Tonya Harding's husband Jeff Gillooly could profit from endorsements. In other scenes, we see her only female companion is her coach who's desperate for a win.

There is something a little strange about "T"­--a slightly lyrical tempo to the dialogue. Sentences read like work emails, missing regular parts of speech. It's an interesting choice, but it often puts uncharacteristically poetic words into otherwise simple people's mouths. It takes for granted that most of us are probably too familiar with the particulars of this crime, and therefore breezes through events without much context. There's a lot to cover in this story and while it's brief, it sufficiently wraps up in a single act.

Leah Raidt plays Tonya Harding with fierce intensity. The look is perfect. There's a duality in her interpretation that strongly resembles the real Tonya Harding without resorting to impression. She's endearingly naive but also bullish and brash. Her coach, Joanne is played by Kelli Simpkins. Her performance is like a cross of Tilda Swinton and Jodi Foster. Her scenes are the most captivating. Her character, however flawed, proves to be the moral backbone of the play.

It makes you wonder what the relevance of the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan feud is to today. Aibel tries to connect it to the beginning of the digital age, and maybe he's right. It was the last time in history that shlock news didn't go "viral." This story held a nation's attention at the speed of nightly news. Like the OJ Simpson trial, this time will always hold a special place in a certain generation's heart.

At American Theater Company through June 25th. 1909 W Byron St. 60613