Feb 2027

Eos Theatre Company Announces Second Production with

The Thin Place

Written by Lucas Hnath
Directed by JC Clementz

Featuring Eos Theatre Company co-Artistic Directors Ashway Lawver and Rachel Sledd

Playing February 5 - 28, 2027 in Bramble Arts Loft’s Beatrice Theater

CHICAGO (October 1, 2026) – Eos Theatre Company is pleased to announce their second production with Lucas Hnath’s horror play The Thin Place, directed by JC Clementz (Steppenwolf’s Director of Casting and Artistic Operations), playing February 5 - 28, 2027 in Bramble Arts Loft’s Beatrice Theater, 5545 N Clark Street in Chicago. Tickets go on sale October 13th at www.eostheatre.org. The press opening is Saturday, February 6, 2027 at 7:30 pm.

The Thin Place will feature Eos Theatre Company co-Artistic Directors Ashway Lawver and Rachel Sledd, with additional casting to be announced shortly.

About the Production:
The “thin place” is a place where the line between this world and another one is very thin; where the living and the dead can reconnect. Ever since she was a very little girl, Hilda tried to make contact with that “other place” by listening very carefully, not with her ears but with the space just behind and a little above her eyes. She was never all that sure that the things she could hear were real, until she met Linda, a professional psychic, who can talk to the dead. That’s what Hilda wants to do, and so she befriends Linda. But as their friendship deepens, Linda unveils some uncomfortable truths. The Thin Place is a horror story about what’s really going on in the space just behind and a little above your eyes.

The Production Team includes Eric Watkins (Lighting Design), Rachel Sledd (Costume Design), Ashway Lawver (Costume Design), Christopher Kriz (Sound Design), William Hughes (Set Design), Morgan Burkey (Assistant Director), and Michael Lesko (Stage Manager).

Production Details:
The Thin Place by Lucas Hnath
Directed by JC Clementz
Presented by Eos Theatre Company

Cast: Ashway Lawver (Hilda), Rachel Sledd (Slyvia). Additional casting to be announced.

Location: Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N Clark Street, 2nd Floor, Chicago

Dates:
Preview: February 5, 2027, at 7:30pm
Press opening: February 6, 2027, at 7:30pm
February 11, 12, 13 15, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 2027, at 7:30pm
February 7, 14, 21, 28, 2027, at 2:00pm

Ticket Prices:
General Admission: $45
Student: $15
Industry: $25
Group (10 or more): $30
Thursday performances: pay what you can

Artist Biographies:
Lucas Hnath's most recent play, Dana H., was at the Vineyard Theatre in New York. Lucas received a 2017 Tony Award nomination for Best Play with A Doll’s House, Part 2. Hnath’s other plays include Hillary and Clinton, The Thin Place, Red Speedo, The Christians, A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney, Isaac’s Eye and Death Tax. He has been produced on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre and Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, Soho Rep and Ensemble Studio Theatre. His plays have also premiered at the Humana Festival of New Plays, Victory Gardens and South Coast Repertory. He is a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect, a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre and an alumnus of New Dramatists. Awards: Whiting Award, Guggenheim Fellowship, Kesselring Prize, Outer Critics Circle Award for Best New Play, Obie Award for Playwriting, Steinberg Playwright Award and the Windham-Campbell Literary Prize. 

JC Clementz is the Director of Casting and Artistic Operations at Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Over the past decade, he has cast productions out of Chicago and New York including the Pulitzer- and Tony-winning Best Play Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Other Broadway credits include Little Bear Ridge Road starring Laurie Metcalf, Bug starring Carrie Coon, Linda Vista, Pass Over, and The Minutes. As a director, his credits include the Associate Director for the pre-Broadway tryout of The Devil Wears Prada: A New Musical (Broadway in Chicago), director of The Nerd, The All Night Strut!, Murder for Two, and many other productions at Milwaukee Rep, Waiting: A Song Cycle (Cherry Lane, NYC), and Murder for Two (Merrimack Rep). Proud member of SDC and the Casting Society.

Ashway Lawver is co-Founder and co-Artistic Director of Eos Theatre Company; she played Hecuba in the company’s inaugural production of The Trojan Women at Bramble Arts Loft, April 2026. Recent theatre credits: The Pavilion, Sweat (The Loop Players); Murder on the Orient Express (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre); Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Lindiwe (Steppenwolf). Ashway started her stage career in NYC; highlights include performing Off-Broadway, at Radio City Music Hall and in National/International tours. She can be seen in several national commercials and feature/independent films; including Long Division (Roku, Tubi) and Promises (Amazon Prime). A transplant from Los Angeles, Ashway has her BA in Theatre/Dance (Wheaton College, MA) and is a graduate of the School at Steppenwolf. Ashway is a member of SAG and is represented by Talent X Alexander. IMdb.me/AshwayLawver

Rachel Sledd is a co-Founder and co-Artistic Director of Eos Theatre Company; she directed the company’s inaugural production of The Trojan Women at Bramble Arts Loft, April 2026. Recent theatre credits include Highway Patrol (Goodman Theatre) and Junk (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre). TV/Film credits include NBC's Chicago Med, Chicago PD, the pilot’s Burn and You’ve Got Gail, and Bride of Frankie, which has screened at over 100 film festivals internationally and for which Rachel won Best Actress in a Short at the Sydney Indie Film Festival. Rachel earned an M.F.A. from the University of Washington’s Professional Actor Training Program in Seattle and teaches theatre at Harold Washington College. She is represented by DDO Artists Chicago.  

Eos Theatre Company Mission Statement:
Eos Theatre Company is a vibrant new women-led theatre company based in Chicago, dedicated to shining light into the darkness of the human experience through transformative storytelling. We strive to amplify female voices and narratives, producing bold, diverse, and thought-provoking works that challenge and inspire audiences. We believe that live theatre fosters connection, community, empathy, and understanding; we are committed to increasing access to live theatre for young people and marginalized communities. Eos is building an inclusive artistic community that promotes equity, excellence and dialogue. Through performance, education, and community partnerships, we harness the power of storytelling to inspire change and empower future generations of women in American Theatre. Created by a collective of women theatre artists with extensive experience in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and beyond, Eos aims to deliver Chicago storefront theatre of the highest caliber.