Heat Wave By Steven Simoncic Adapted from: Heat Wave A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago by Eric Klinenberg

Cold Basement Dramatics presents
Heat Wave By Steven Simoncic
Adapted from: Heat Wave A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago by Eric Klinenberg
Directed by Rinska Carrasco-Prestinary
At Steppenwolf Garage
February 20 – April 26, 2015
The Garage Theatre
Tickets now on-sale
Chicago, 1995: An intense heat wave has gripped the city with temperatures soaring above 100 degrees. 739 people die, mostly people who are poor, elderly, or minorities with nowhere to seek shelter. As the morgues overflow, the city’s emergency response team is called into question. The Mayor’s Office combats the criticism with a PR campaign that successfully turns the blame onto the victims and their families. As Chicago approaches the 20th anniversary of that summer, Heat Wave tells the story of the people who were made invisible, the hard working citizens who fought to uncover the truth and the resilient Chicago community that suffered, yet carried on.