Photos by Randall Starr

Paris

By Eboni Booth
Directed by Jonathan Berry
A Midwest Premiere

Returning home to the small town of Paris, Vermont, Emmie tries to make ends meet while navigating the challenges of being Black in a predominantly white community. After finally landing a second job at a retail giant, her search for connection and identity leads her to a stark realization. Eboni Booth’s Paris, an off-beat workplace comedy, explores the impacts of race and economics on the wage-earners of rural America.

“A master class in putting on a play in a raw space.”
”It’s a heck of a reminder of what we have been missing.”
-Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

Tickets

Masks and vaccines are required at Steep Theatre.

All performances of Paris are currently sold out. We are working to increase seating capacity, but in the meantime, we encourage you to sign up for the wait list:

PARIS Wait List

Complete this form to add your name to the wait list for a performance of PARIS, then arrive at the theatre 15 minutes prior to show time on the date you select. If last-minute tickets become available, they will be released to the wait list at show time, and you must be present in the lobby to receive tickets. Tickets will be released to the wait list in the order that folks signed up, so there is no need to arrive earlier than 15 minutes prior to show time. Steep Members and Steep Pass holders - contact us at info@steeptheatre.com or 773-649-3186 to reserve your tickets.

First Name

Last Name

If tickets become available in advance, we will reach out to folks on the wait list in the order in which they signed up. By providing your email address you consent to receive emails from Steep Theatre.

Number of Tickets

How many tickets would you like?

Performance Date

Ticket Price

In celebration of Steep’s return to Edgewater, this production will be free to attend.
Donations are accepted.

Performance Schedule

Previews: June 11 - June 16
Press Opening: Friday, June 17
Performances: June 17 - July 23
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm
Sunday afternoons at 3 pm
Full Performance Calendar

Performance Location

Steep Theatre
At the corner of Berwyn & Kenmore in Chicago
Please visit our Location Page for more details.

Accessibility
Audio Description and a Touch Tour will be available on Sunday, June 26. Open Captioning will be available on Sunday, July 3.
Contact us at access@steeptheatre.com or 773-649-3186 for more information or to reserve tickets.

Production Sponsors: Dr. Susan Burland & George Plumb, Ken Burlington, James T. O’Neill, Barbara & Randy Thomas, Lisa & Randy White, Jan Willer & Mark Osing, Martha Anne & Stephen Yandle

Running Time: 1:30 with no intermission

Ticketing: We use a paperless ticketing system, and there are no physical tickets to pick up. When you arrive at the theatre, your reservation will be under your last name at the Box Office.
The Box Office will open 45 minutes prior to show time
The house will open for seating 15 minutes prior to show time

Late Seating: Please note that late seating is not possible and that all tickets not claimed by the scheduled performance time may be released to the waitlist. For questions about this, please contact our box office.

Content Advisory: This production is intended for adult audiences. For more information about the content of this show, please click here.

About the Venue: 1044 W Berwyn Ave is our new home, and we couldn’t be more excited, but it’s not quite a theatre yet. We have a renovation project in the works, but in the meantime Paris will give you the chance to join us in exploring the space pre-renovation. The former church is ADA accessible and offers ample restrooms, but some of the trappings of the Steep experience (such as beverage service in the lobby lounge) are still waiting in the wings. The art we create and the community we bring together will be 100% Steep, but the physical space is still somewhere between church and theatre.

Featured

Alex Gillmor

Alex Levy

Josh Odor

Michaela Petro

Amber Sallis

Lynda Shadrake

Terence Sims

Download the Program

Cast

Alex Gillmor^
Alex Levy
Josh Odor
Michaela Petro
Amber Sallis^*
Lynda Shadrake
Terence Sims
Norm Woodel (voiceover)

Creative Team

Director – Jonathan Berry^
Stage Managers – Jennifer Aparicio*, Hannah Weiss
Costume Designer – Alexia Rutherford
Co-Lighting Designers – Conchita Avitia, Heather Gilbert
Sound Designer – Daniel Etti-Williams
Props Designer - Carol-Delaney Gibson
Scenic Consultant – Eleanor Kahn
Intimacy Choreographer - Tristin Hall
Production Manager – Julie Siple^
Production Electrician – Mark Brown
Technical Director – Evan Sposato
Assistant Director –Lisa Troi Thomas^
Assistant Stage Managers – Ender Collins, Andrea Enger, Rachel Silver
Makeup Assistant - Liz Sharpe
Casting Director – Lucy Carapetyanˆ
Photographer - Randall Starr

ˆ Steep Company Member
ˆˆ Steep Artistic Associate
* Appearing through an Agreement between Steep Theatre and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

In the Press

3.5 Stars
“A master class in putting on a play in a raw space.”
”It’s a heck of a reminder of what we have been missing.”
-Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
Read the full review

“…what comes across clearly in this work—the first live production from Steep since 2020, and the first in their new space on Berwyn—is that Booth is a fierce and funny writer to watch.”
-Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader
Read the full review

Eboni Booth

Eboni Booth is a writer and actress from New York City. Her play Paris had its premiere at the Atlantic Theater Company. Her work has been developed with Victory Gardens Theater, Ojai Playwrights Conference, Cape Cod Theater Project, WP Theater, Two River Theater, Clubbed Thumb, and Northern Stage. Eboni is a resident playwright at New Dramatists and the recipient of a Steinberg Playwright Award, a Helen Merrill Award for Playwriting, and a John Gassner award. She is a graduate of Juilliard’s playwriting program and the University of Vermont.