About the Artists

Julie Ganey is a Chicago-based artist and educator whose work encompasses writing, storytelling, theatre and improvisation. As a professional actor, she has appeared on Chicago stages large and small for over 25 years. Julie has written and performed four original solo plays. Michiganderish was commissioned as part of her 2024 Creative Fellowship at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts. Julie is the co-author of SOLO: The Everything Guide to Writing, Performing and Producing Your One-Person Show, written with Arlene Malinowski and published by Northwestern University Press. She is an active member of Chicago's live lit storytelling scene and a company member at 2nd Story. Julie is a devoted advocate of arts education and regularly creates performance pieces with collaborators aged 3 to 93 with organizations of all sizes. Julie is also a long-time teaching artist for the Goodman Theatre's GeNarrations program and an adjunct professor at The Theatre School at DePaul University. (AEA/SAG-AFTRA)

Mike Przygoda is a composer and multi-instrumentalist from Chicago who has previously collaborated with Julie Ganey on Good Enough and Love Thy Neighbor...Till It Hurts at 16th Street Theatre (as well as countless storytelling events throughout the city). Previous Steppenwolf credits include A Home What Howls and How To Lobster. Other local credits include Covenant, Primary Trust, Rust, The Matchmaker and Another Word For Beauty at Goodman Theatre. He is the composer of Water Riot: A Cyberpunk Rock Opera (National Black Theatre, New York Live Arts, The Apollo Theatre, The Capri Theatre) and writes songs for his band, The Przmatics.

Ann Filmer is happy to be back at Steppenwolf where she adapted and directed Tony Fitzpatrick’s tetralogy: This Train, Station’s Lost, Nation of Heat and The Midnight City. Filmer is a longtime fan of and collaborator with Julie Ganey having produced Ganey’s solo shows Good Enough and Love Thy Neighbor… Till It Hurts at 16th Street Theatre, which Filmer founded and led for 15 years. Filmer has directed for The Kennedy Center, Goodman and A Red Orchid among others, including directing the solo shows Rohina Malik's Unveiled and Arlene Malinowski’s A Little Bit Not Normal. Filmer is Executive Director of Riverside Arts Center. She also writes songs as Mrs. Smith and The Present with her spouse and drummer Barry Bennett and sings in Vinto Van Go with Vini Bruckert. Find upcoming shows at https://www.annfilmer.com/