{"id":37406,"date":"2016-03-15T15:50:07","date_gmt":"2016-03-15T20:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=37406"},"modified":"2016-03-15T15:50:07","modified_gmt":"2016-03-15T20:50:07","slug":"the-flick-is-a-rich-portrait-of-interpersonal-drama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/the-flick-is-a-rich-portrait-of-interpersonal-drama\/","title":{"rendered":"“The Flick” is a rich portrait of interpersonal drama"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Carlos D. Williamson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Annie Baker\u2019s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama will continue to draw in audiences for the next few months at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company<\/a> in Chicago.<\/p>\n

Baker, who has a number of other awards for her work, won the Pulitzer in 2014 for \u201cThe Flick,\u201d which will be featured at Steppenwolf through May 8. The play takes place in real time, not theatrical time, said Hallie Gordon, artistic producer. Gordon added that the events onstage do not unfold quickly, unlike most of the high-octane productions at Steppenwolf.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn theatrical time, you\u2019re not going to watch someone actually bake a turkey,\u201d Gordon said. \u201cWe all understand the theatrical language of that. This [drama] doesn\u2019t do that. It does not speed up places where there needs to be pauses because the [characters] don\u2019t know each other, and they don\u2019t know what to say.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this play, Avery (Travis Turner), a 20-year-old who is struggling to find himself, leaves college for a job at The Flick, a dilapidated movie theater in Worcester, Massachusetts. His co-worker Sam (Danny McCarthy), a middle-aged layabout, is perfectly content with chatting about movies with Avery and stealing from their boss, as the two clean the theater each night. Caroline Neff plays Rose who, along with Sam, tries to convince Avery that the money they\u2019re taking is indeed \u201cdinner money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Together the trio discuss personal aspects of each others’ lives, including aspirations and past regrets, all while sweeping popcorn and picking up trash onstage.<\/p>\n

Neff and McCarthy, who have appeared in previous Steppenwolf productions, returned to the theater for this play after performing elsewhere. Turner made his debut with Steppenwolf\u00a0 in this play.<\/p>\n

\""The
(left to right) Caroline Neff (Rose), Travis Turner (Avery) and Danny McCarthy (Sam) in Steppenwolf Theatre Company\u2019s production of “The Flick,” a Chicago premiere written by Annie Baker and directed by Dexter Bullard. (Michael Brosilow)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
She makes quiet dramas between people with simple lives<\/em>–Dexter Bullard<\/div>\n

Director Dexter Bullard said he tried his best not to deviate from the original play and wanted the production to maintain its authenticity. He also said he has a strong rapport with Baker and is a fan of her work.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The play] is extremely unique,\u201d Bullard said. \u201c[Baker\u2019s] voice is not like anyone else\u2019s writing today. It\u2019s not a formulated play. She\u2019s exploring something that other people would overlook. She makes quiet dramas between people with simple lives and finds complexities within those lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bullard not only admires Baker\u2019s unique voice, he added that the dialogue of her characters and the overall construction of her plays are brilliant.<\/p>\n

Though most dramatists write scenes filled with action or romance, Baker is more concerned with revealing the truths of everyday life, such as conflict in the workplace and the power struggles between employees, Bullard said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany other playwrights look at her work as an example of how to layer meanings and scenes and characters in order to create such rich portraits,\u201d Bullard said. \u201c[Baker] is very interested in the people and their interactions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tickets for \u201cThe Flick\u201d can be purchased in person at 1650 N. Halsted St., by phone at 312-335-1650 or online at steppenwolf.org.<\/p>\n

Photo at top: Avery (Travis Turner) in Steppenwolf Theatre Company\u2019s production of “The Flick,” written by Annie Baker and directed by Dexter Bullard. (Michael Brosilow)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Carlos D. Williamson Annie Baker\u2019s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama will continue to draw in audiences for the next few months at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. Baker, who has a number of other awards for her work, won the Pulitzer in 2014 for \u201cThe Flick,\u201d which will be featured at Steppenwolf through May 8. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":222,"featured_media":37408,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194,585],"tags":[379,665,2309,2308,2352],"class_list":["post-37406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","category-winter-2016","tag-acting","tag-arts-and-culture","tag-dramas","tag-plays","tag-steppenwolf-theater"],"yoast_head":"\n"The Flick" is a rich portrait of interpersonal drama - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/the-flick-is-a-rich-portrait-of-interpersonal-drama\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\""The Flick" is a rich portrait of interpersonal drama - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Carlos D. Williamson Annie Baker\u2019s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama will continue to draw in audiences for the next few months at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. Baker, who has a number of other awards for her work, won the Pulitzer in 2014 for \u201cThe Flick,\u201d which will be featured at Steppenwolf through May 8. 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