Alumni and former faculty members of Columbia College Chicago are in the cast and creative team for the Manhattan Theatre Club and Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s Broadway co-production of Bug, the creepy-crawly psychological thriller by Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning Steppenwolf ensemble member Tracy Letts.
The show, which began previews December 16, 2025, at the Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in New York City’s midtown Manhattan theatre district, opens January 8, 2026. The production originated in 2021 at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre.
David Cromer (Photo: Emilio Madrid)
The show, described as “a luridly funny tale of love, paranoia, and government conspiracy,” is directed by former Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department student and faculty member David Cromer HDR ’17 — recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from Columbia College in 2017 and winner of the 2018 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for The Band’s Visit.
Steve Key
Randall Arney
The show’s cast includes Columbia College alum Steve Key ’88, a graduate of Columbia’s art and design program, and former Columbia College Theatre Department faculty member Randall Arney, a Steppenwolf ensemble member.
Heather Gilbert
The lighting designer is former Columbia College Theatre Department faculty member Heather Gilbert. And former Columbia College Theatre Department teacher Gigi Buffington is the dialect and vocal coach.
