Leveling Up
"Leveling Up is smart, funny, frightening, poignant and, ultimately, despite its focus on technology, very human." -Chicago Stage Standard
"Laufer... is such a smart, engaging storyteller, and possesses such a flair for devising characters with highly individual voices, that she can draw you right in, whatever your age" --Chicago Sun Times
"Laufer’s script is intelligent without being preachy and funny without being goofy or awkward….topical, thought-provoking and timeless." -Chicago Theatre Beat
"Leveling Up is smart, funny, frightening, poignant and, ultimately, despite its focus on technology, very human." -Chicago Stage Standard
"Laufer... is such a smart, engaging storyteller, and possesses such a flair for devising characters with highly individual voices, that she can draw you right in, whatever your age" --Chicago Sun Times
"Laufer’s script is intelligent without being preachy and funny without being goofy or awkward….topical, thought-provoking and timeless." -Chicago Theatre Beat
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Three twenty-something roommates are glued to their video games. They are masters of the virtual worlds behind the computer screens in their Las Vegas basement. When one of them uses his gaming skills to land a job with the National Security Agency launching actual drones and missiles, online battles begin to have real consequences. Leveling Up is a fresh, contemporary look at how we navigate the blurry line between worlds both virtual and real and what it means to grow up.
CAST: IAN: Early 20’s. Awesome gamer – Nevada State champ. A bit of a nerd. Very bright. CHUCK: Ian’s roommate. Early 20’s. All around good guy. ZANDER: Ian’s other roommate. Early 20’s. Very good looking. A bit of a wheeler dealer. JEANNIE: Zan’s girlfriend. Very sweet and innocent. Excellent student. 21 |
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Production History: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Cincinnati, OH Steppenwolf Theatre Company Chicago, IL Hippodrome Theatre Gainesville, FL University of Central FL Orlando, FL University of Findlay Findlay, OH Interrobang Theatre Company Baltimore, MD Dreiser Theatre Indiana State University New Theatre Miami, FL Bethany Lutheran College Mankato, MN Acting Innocent Theatre Company Tuscon, AZ University of Scranton Players Scranton, PA 11/2016 Columbia College Chicago, IL, 2/2017 Brandeis Dept. of Theater Arts Walham, MA, 3/2017 Temple University Philadelphia, PA 3/2017 Ashland University Ashland, OH, 10/2017 Birdhouse Theatre Milledgeville, GA 4/18 Virtual Theatre Ensemble Virtually! 1/19 Northeast Community College Norfolk, NE 5/19 Delgado Theatre Dept New Orleans,LA 9/19 North Hennipin CC Brooklyn Park MN 3/20 Edinburgh Fringe Film Festival (Film) Edinburgh, Scotland 8/20 St. John's University (Virtually) St. Joseph, MN, 2/2021 Xavier University (Virtually) Cincinnati, OH, 3/2021 City University (Virtually) New York, NY 3/2021 2 Rhythms Theatre LA, CA 12/2021 SFCC Theatre Sedalia, MO, 2/2022 St Cloud University St. Cloud, MN 5/2023 Morningside University Sioux City, Iowa, 11/2023 GCSU Milledgeville, GA, 11/2023 |
Some Reviews:
2/19 -- Chosen for Broadway Producer's Pick List! https://www.theproducersperspective.com/my_weblog/2019/02/the-broadway-producer-pick-list-2018.html "Laufer (an award-winning playwright whose widely produced “End Days” made a terrific impression when staged here by Next Theatre), is such a smart, engaging storyteller, and possesses such a flair for devising characters with highly individual voices, that she can draw you right in, whatever your age" Chicago Sun Times http://voices.suntimes.com/arts-entertainment/the-daily-sizzle/steppenwolfs-leveling-up-ups-the-ante-between-real-and-virtual/ by Hedy Weiss ------------ Leveling Up is an amazing reflection on how technology is changing our world and how we live in it. Laufer understands that it is not the technology or the reality that we choose that is important, but our relationships. Not just for the teens, this is a play that has plenty to offer audiences of all ages. Leveling Up is smart, funny, frightening, poignant and, ultimately, despite its focus on technology, very human. Chicago Stage Standard http://chicagostagestandard.com/2014/03/02/leveling-up-steppenwolf/ by Kerstin Broockmann ---------------- "Laufer’s coming-of-age tale succeeds as a thought-provoking and powerful insight into why “leveling up” in life doesn’t just mean defeating your opponent. Topical subject matters are treated in a timeless way, making Leveling Up all the more resonant and relevant." "Laufer’s script is intelligent without being preachy and funny without being goofy or awkward." Chicago Theater Beat http://chicagotheaterbeat.com/2014/03/08/leveling-up-review-steppenwolf-theatre/ by Patrick Dyer ------------------ “If our theater is eager to reach the next generation—those gamers, texters, Snapchatters, and so on, who were raised in a world where the virtual often overshadows the actual—here's a place to start: produce smart, inquiry-based plays like this one. Deborah Zoe Laufer's Leveling Up raises questions about what it means to make choices in an increasingly disconnected, media-saturated world.” Chicago Reader http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/leveling-up/Event?oid=12682010 by Suzanne Scanlon --------------------- "Laufer’s startlingly contemporary script and the Playhouse production, staged by Wendy Goldberg from the O’Neill Theatre Center (where the show was developed), are believably here and now, replete with bursts of humor, anxiety and violence." CityBeat http://citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-27114-leveling_up_(review).html by Rick Pender Won Best of Fringe!! -- Interrobang Theatre CO, Baltimore, MD 11/14 |