Student
Matinee
Series
A Steady Rain
By Keith Huff
Study Guide
Created by Hiram High School Language Arts Class of Ms. Michelle Roberts
As part of the Alliance Theatre Institute for Educators and Teaching Artists’
Dramaturgy by Students
Under the guidance of Teaching Artist Rachel Jones
A Steady Rain on Broadway with Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig
Playwright
Keith Huff's (Playwright) has an MFA from the University of Iowa’s
Playwright’s Workshop and is the recipient of a Jeff Award, a Drama Logue Award, the Cunningham Prize, the John Gassner Award, the
Berrilla Kerr Award, and three Illinois Arts Council Playwriting
Fellowships. His plays have been produced Off-Broadway,
internationally, and nationally. Recent productions include the sold-out
Broadway run of A Steady Rain featuring Daniel Craig and Hugh
Jackman, the critically acclaimed smash hit The Bird and Mr. Banks at
the Road Theater in LA, Pursued By Happiness at Steppenwolf Theater First-Look Festival and The Age of
Cynicism or Karaoke Night at The Hog at Chicago Dramatists and Bloomington Playwrights Project. Keith
is currently adapting “A Steady Rain” for film, developing a Chicago-based series “The Brothers
Buczakowski” for HBO, and a Co-Producer for AMC’s Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning series “Mad
Men.”
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Synopsis
Denny and Joey, two South Chicago police officers who cannot seem to get promoted, share their story of
descent through a tightly wound doulogue. Denny asserts his strong family values while taking bribes
from local bars and prostitutes, cheating on his wife, and breaking nearly every police protocol.
Meanwhile, his partner, Joey falls in love with Denny’s wife and begins to assume the patriarical role in
the family.
A Steady Rain with Jesse Gervais and John Ulyatt in the Blarney Production
Director
Jeff Perry (Director) currently stars on the ABC hit series,
Scandal, opposite Kerry Washington where he plays Cyrus
Beene, The White House’s Chief of Staff. He is a co-founder of
Chicago’s internationally acclaimed Steppenwolf Theatre
Company which he started in 1976 with Gary Sinise and Terry
Kinney. An avid teacher, Perry co-founded The School at
Steppenwolf and Steppenwolf Classes West. He has directed
Thomas Kelly and Sal Viscuso in A Steady Rain at LA’s Odyssey
Theatre, Minneapolis’ The Guthrie Theatre and is now
honored to do so at The Alliance Theatre. Jeff is married to three-time Emmy® winning casting director,
Linda Lowy.
Actors
Thomas Vincent Kelly (Joey) is pleased to return to the Alliance Theatre where he
played Mike in Good People directed by Susan V. Booth. Regional credits include:
A Steady Rain (Guthrie Theater); The Wind Cries Mary (San Jose Rep. and
East/West Players); A Touch of the Poet, Zoot Suit (Goodman Theatre); Eastville
(Connecticut Rep.); Henry IV parts 1&2, Henry V (Chicago Shakespeare); Bell, Book
and Candle, Opus (Ensemble Theatre); As You Like It, Hamlet (American Players);
Look Back In Anger (Writers’ Theatre); and Shakespearean festivals in Utah,
Florida, Illinois and Idaho. He is a founding member of Irish Theatre of Chicago
where he appeared in Scenes From the Big Picture, Chekhov In Yalta and Neither
Have I Wings To Fly. Television credits include: “Criminal Minds: Suspect
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Behavior,” “Law & Order: LA,” “Saving Grace,” “The Closer,” “24,” “Without a Trace,” and numerous
other guest appearances. Tom is a proud member of Actors’ Equity and SAGAFTRA.
www.thomasvincentkelly.com
Sal Viscuso (Danny) is making his Alliance Theatre debut. He previously
performed A Steady Rain at the Guthrie. Moved by Ivan Dixon’s Emmy-winning
performance in The Final War of Olly Winter, he enrolled in drama at UC Davis,
and then studied with Olympia Dukakis at NYU. TV: “Scandal,” “Law & Order:
SVU,” “Soap,” his vocationally challenged Father Flotsky drew national
controversy. Films: The original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three and
Spaceballs. Theatre credits: Russ in Clybourne Park at Portland Center Stage,
LA: (Roma) Glengarry Glen Ross, (Carr-Gomm) Elephant Man. Sal is proud to be
directed by Steppenwolf Theatre’s co-founder, Jeff Perry.
Characters
Denny Lombardo – a bombastic middle-aged beat cop who loves his family
Joey Doyle – Denny’s soft-spoken bachelor partner
Unfamiliar Words and Phrases from A Steady Rain
Acquisitive – excessively interested in acquiring money or material things
Altercation – a noisy argument or disagreement especially in public
Amscray – pig Latin for scram; leave quickly
Blitzed – drunk or stoned, or extremely tired
Blitzkrieg – intense military campaign intended to bring about a swift victory
Blousy - Disheveled in appearance; unkempt; usually refers to a woman
Bog hoppin’ – a racist word for an Irish person
Boober – slang for television
Boudoir- a woman’s bedroom or private room
Cache- a hiding place, especially one in the ground, for ammunition, food, treasures, etc.
Chinch pad - a cheap hotel or lodging house rented by male prostitutes
Choked - Difficulty in breathing.
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Cogitate – think deeply about something; meditate or reflect
Comb over- Hair that is combed over a bald spot in an attempt to cover it.
“Como, pendejo?” – What asshole?
Conspicuously –easily seen or noticed; readily visible or observance
Cowplop - cow dung
Cul-de-sac – a street or passage closed at one end
Denigrate - criticized unfairly
Depose- to remove from office suddenly and forcefully.
Dereliction of duty- A service member who has willfully refused to perform his duties.
Derriere- Euphemistic term for a person's buttocks
Deviant – a person who has departed from the norm; characterized by deviation
Deviation- the action of departing from an established course or accepted standard
Dickwad - a dumb, stupid, lame, or slow person
Dinky-gy-ponged – Denny’s racist imitation of Li-Yao’s speech
“The Rock”- a nickname for Alcatraz, an island prison off the coast of San Francisco, CA. Al Capone, a
famous Chicago gangster, was sent to Alcatraz.
Egghead - a person who is highly academic or studious; usually derogative
Elbow-bender – a synonym for an alcoholic
Embankment- A bank of earth or stone built to carry a road or railroad over an area of low ground
Emphatic – expressing something forcibly and clearly
Excruciating - intensely painful agonizing, severe, acute, intense, violent, racking, searing, piercing,
stabbing, or ragging
Faux- artificial or imitation; fake
Fisheye - an unfriendly or suspicious look
Friggin - used for emphasis or to express anger, annoyance, contempt; a euphemism for fuck
Fuggetaboutit – phrase that is associated with gangsters and Italian ethnicity, often used in movies;
dialect spelling of “forget about it”
Gazunga – breast
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Glom - to hang on tightly
Goombah - an associate or accomplice, especially a senior member of a criminal gang.
Grandstanding – seek to attract applause or favorable attention from spectators or the media
Grease – to kill; colloquialism
Grievance-real or imagined wrong or other cause for complaint or protest.
Habitually - something done repeatedly that is hard to give up
Heinz- mutt; the name of Denny’s family dog in A Steady Rain
Hindsight- recognition of the realities, possibilities, or requirements of a situation, event, decision, etc.
after its occurrence
Ilk- a type of people or things that are similar to those already referred to
Inherently – existing in something as a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute
Irredeemable- Not able to be saved improved or corrected.
“Knobbed on Hock” – purchased on credit
“Koo-Koo-Ka-Chew” – reference to the Beatles “I am the Walrus;” Denny is belittling Joey’s attempt to
curb his racist comments.
Le Mans- the world’s oldest active sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since 1923 in the
town of Le Mans
Limbo – an uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution
Mick – An Irishman, derogatory
Mother Teresa – a well-regarded nun who worked with the impoverished in India
Mr. Rogers – an American television personality seen on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” from 19682001.
Napalm – a highly flammable sticky jelly used in incendiary bombs and flamethrowers, consisting of
gasoline thickened with special soaps
Neilson box - a device that collects marketing data to see how many people are watching which
channels/television shows.
Neo-Nazi - a member of an organization similar to the German Nazi Party
“In Dutch” – in trouble
Omniscience-mainly in religion; the capacity to know everything there is to know
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Paisan-A word used by Italians or Italian Americans that means countryman or friend
Parenthetical - inserted as parenthesis
“Pasta basta wop” – pejorative slur used to describe Italians
Pharmaceutical – pertaining to drugs
Poindexter – a boringly studious and socially inept person
Portables- A version of something that can be easily carried
Potshots - a criticism, especially a random or unfounded one
Pro boner (pro bono)- free legal advice; Denny mispronounces it.
Prodding- Stimulate or persuade someone who is reluctant or slow to do something
Proprietor - Owner
Protocol – the official procedure or system of rules governing affairs of state or diplomatic occasions
Psychiatrist- Is a medical practitioner that works on the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness
Pulpit- Is a raised platform. Pulpit can also mean religious teaching as expressed in sermons.
Putz- fool or jerk
Putrid – decaying or rotting and emitting a fetid smell
Redemption- the act of regaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt
Redundancy - The state of being not or no longer needed or useful.
Reinstated – restore someone or something to their former position or condition
Reprimand - A rebuke, especially an official one.
Schnapps - is a strong alcoholic drink resembling gin often flavored with fruit.
Shag – carpet with a long, rough pile
Shyster – a person, especially a lawyer, who uses unscrupulous, fraudulent, or deceptive methods in
business
“Sink the putt” – a euphemism for sex
Spigots - A device in a tap/faucet that controls the flow of liquid
Stain-glass Madonna – colored notably for church windows with a picture of the Virgin Mary, Jesus’
mom
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“Starsky and Hutch”- A 1970s American TV show about two street-wise cops in the fictional city of Bay
City, CA
Sterno - flammable jelly supplied in cans used for dishes stoves; Denny uses it to indicate the severity of
Joey’s alcoholism
Stonewall - to block, stall, or resist intentionally
“The Sauce” - euphemism for alcohol
Transcendental-Of or relating to a spiritual or nonphysical realm.
Unwarranted- Not justified or authorized.
Yap – talk incessantly
“You are the egghead. I am the walrus” – reference to the Beatles song, “I am the Walrus” which
references Lewis Carroll’s poem “The Walrus and The Carpenter” a story about people in power
consuming unsuspecting innocents.
Yobber – a derogatory word Denny made up
“Vios con Dios” – probably meant to say “Vaya con Dios” which translates from Spanish “Go with God,”
a Catholic blessing
Waft – pass or cause to pass easily or gently through or as if through the air
Woozy – unsteady, dizzy, or dazed
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Jeffrey Dahmer and A Steady Rain
A Steady Rain is loosely based on an incident that occurred on May 27, 1991 between Jeffery Dahmer
and two Milwaukee police officers. Jeffrey Dahmer is an American serial killer who is responsible for the
murder, rape, and dismemberment of seventeen men from 1978 to 1991. In 1991, one of Dahmer’s
victims escaped his apartment and made it outside. He was naked and speaking Laotian. Three
concerned women call 911 and Officers John Balcerzak and Joseph Gabrish arrived to assess the
situation. Dahmer explained that the victim was his young lover, and commonly became drunk and
incoherent. The women pled with the officers to intervene, but the young man was returned to
Dahmer’s apartment where he was later killed. Gabrish and his partner’s positions were terminated. In
A Steady Rain the situation is slightly more open to interpretation as the there is no one advocating for
the young man in question. However, even the policeman’s union chooses to separate themselves from
Denny and Joey when the details of the incident are revealed.
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A Steady Rain in the Classroom
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Pre-Show Questions
What is the role of the police force in the community?
What is affirmative action and how is it applied in public employment?
How do police departments ensure the integrity of their employees? How do the police officers
feel about this system and the people who oversee it?
What is cultural sensitivity training? How is it useful? Is it ever counterproductive?
Post-Show Questions
1. In A Steady Rain, someone shot through the window of Denny’s home seriously injuring his twoyear old son. Do you believe Denny’s actions were an appropriate response? How would have
you responded differently? Support your opinions with details from the play.
2. Do you believe that Denny and Joey’s promotions were delayed as a result of affirmative action
as Denny asserts?
3. Was suicide the only possible outcome for Denny’s character?
4. Denny repeatedly proclaims his love for his family and their priority in his life. Based on his
actions in the play, do you agree that Denny loves his family or not? Support your opinion with
examples from the play.
5. Do you approve of Joey’s actions in the play? Why or why not?
Creative Writing Prompts
1. Write a monologue of this event from the viewpoint of one of the supporting characters. Do
their facts line up with Denny and Joey’s?
2. Have you ever felt like you were in an unwinnable situation? How did you resolve it?
3. If you were Keith Huff, how would you have ended A Steady Rain? Make sure that the
characters are true to who they are.
4. Create a timeline of the events of the play. Do Denny and Joey’s timeline match?
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A Steady Rain at the Alliance Theatre
A Steady Rain at the Alliance Theatre