Emmy and SAG Award winner Brendan Hunt comes back to his hometown of Chicago this spring to present his one-man autobiographical show The Movement You Need: An Evening with Brendan Hunt. Produced by Tiwary Entertainment Group and Lead Producer Vivek J. Tiwary and directed by Ashley Rodbro, this Broadway-bound, three-week limited engagement runs at Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St. from April 19 - May 10, 2026.
Emmy and SAG Award winner Brendan Hunt (Ted Lasso’s co-creator/writer/“Coach Beard”) presents his hilarious new one-man show fueled by bittersweet memories of his Chicago childhood, a love for The Beatles that got him through it, and the tongue-tied moment he met Paul McCartney. The Movement You Need is a laugh-filled love letter to the family that makes us, the music that shapes us, and the crazy shit life throws our way.
Bringing The Movement You Need to this city is deeply personal to Hunt: "I’m proud to be from Chicago. Performing in my hometown is a joy in any circumstance, but particularly with this show, which has so much Chicago in it. I consider Steppenwolf to be holy ground, and the chance to perform on that stage is an honor and a privilege."
Tickets, priced $55-$105,* go on sale to the public on January 29, 2026, at 12pm at steppenwolf.org/movement, (312) 335-1650; 1650 N Halsted St., Chicago. A special Steppenwolf member pre-sale begins Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at 12pm. Student rush tickets are $15 and are available the day of performance through the box office one hour before showtime.
*Pricing includes a $10 handling fee.
The performance schedule is: Tuesdays-Fridays at 7:30pm; Saturdays at 3:00pm and 7:30pm (no shows on Saturday, May 9); Sundays at 3pm; and 7:30pm (Sunday, April 26 only).
The new production features scenic design by Meredith Ries, lighting design by Nick Solyom, sound design by Kate Marvin and projection design by Stefania Bulbarella. Elie Landau serves as Executive Producer.
Brendan Hunt (playwright/performer) is an award-winning actor, screenwriter, and playwright living in Los Angeles, best known for co-creating the international hit Apple TV series Ted Lasso along with Jason Sudeikis, Joe Kelly and Bill Lawrence. He is also an ensemble member for the show, portraying Ted’s trusty assistant Coach Beard. In its first two seasons the show won consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series, a Peabody Award, and many others.
A Chicago native and a veteran of sketch and improv comedy, Brendan’s first professional gig was as a performer and writer with Amsterdam’s notorious comedy theater Boom Chicago, where he performed with Sudeikis, Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele, Ike Barinholtz, Amber Ruffin, Heather Anne Campbell, and many more. His solo show about that experience, Five Years in Amsterdam, debuted at IO West in Los Angeles, and went on to be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, UCB LA, UCB NY, Second City e.t.c., and the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.
In theater, Brendan has twice been nominated for LA Theater’s Ovation Awards, winning one for Best Actor in a Musical. His two plays, Absolutely Filthy and The Art Couple, both had sold-out LA runs, with the former winning Best Show at both the Hollywood Fringe Festival and the New York International Fringe Festival. His newest solo work The Movement You Need just completed a sold-out run at the Soho Playhouse in Manhattan and is eyeing a Broadway debut.
TV and film appearances include Bless This Mess, Community, Parks and Rec, Key & Peele, and the upcoming indie science fiction film Terrestrial. Brendan also voiced the character of “Gunther Melmac” in Pixar’s latest animated film Elio.
His time in Amsterdam engendered in him a passion for the sport of football that would eventually prove to be life-changing, leading not only to Ted Lasso, but also finding him as co-host of Apple News’ wildly successful World Cup podcast After the Whistle with NBC Sports’ Rebecca Lowe.
Brendan is currently shooting Season 4 of Ted Lasso.
Ashley Rodbro (director) is a Mexican-American director focused on new work, musicals, and comedy. She is currently developing projects with Disney Theatrical and Lively McCabe and will direct a world premiere of a new Kristoffer Diaz play at The Warehouse Theater in 2026. She recently directed BriTanick: Dummy at the Soho Theatre in London and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She has developed work at Ars Nova, Signature Theater Company, Edinburgh Fringe, CAP 21, Musical Theater Factory, 54 Below, Yale, the New York Fringe Festival, Marin Theater Company, and more.
Previously, Ashley served as Worldwide Supervising Associate Director for the original production of Moulin Rouge!: The Musical, working alongside Alex Timbers from its early development through Broadway, setting new companies in Australia, London, Germany, and a National Tour, and leading the international directing team. She was also the Resident Director for Hamilton as a part of Tommy Kail’s directing team, opening the “And Peggy” company in Puerto Rico, starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, and maintaining the Resident Company in San Francisco. Her Associate work expands to comedy specials, working with Timbers on John Mulaney’s Kid Gorgeous at Radio City (Netflix), Oh, Hello on Broadway (Netflix), and Alex Edelman’s Just For Us (HBO).
During the COVID-19 crisis, Ashley founded Heredia Vision, creating film and digital content that puts women at the forefront of the creative process. In this role, she spearheaded major collaborations including the virtual special Broadway Does Mother’s Day and NYTW’s documentary and virtual event, 25 Years of RENT.
Her short films have screened at festivals nationwide, and her writing has received multiple awards and honors. She is a graduate of Yale College. @ashleyrodbro ashleyrodbro.com
Vivek J. Tiwary (Lead Producer) is an acclaimed producer of musical entertainment from Tony Award-winning Broadway shows to groundbreaking immersive experiences, a Grammy Award-winning record producer, a #1 New York Times bestselling author and a media financier/investor. He is the founder of Tiwary Entertainment Group (TEG+).
Vivek is currently a lead producer of Hamlet Hail to the Thief, a stage production based on Shakespeare's masterpiece and Radiohead's seminal album. Vivek's past Broadway hits include Alanis Morissette's Tony Award-winning Jagged Little Pill; Vivek also won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for producing the Jagged Little Pill cast recording. Other hit Broadway productions Vivek has either been a financier or Producer on include such groundbreaking work as Green Day’s American Idiot, A Raisin In The Sun, The Addams Family, A Little Night Music, and both of Mel Brooks' musicals The Producers and Young Frankenstein. Combined, these productions have won 25 Tony Awards and 59 Tony nominations.
Vivek's graphic novel The Fifth Beatle was a #1 New York Times Bestseller and won numerous literary awards including the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award and two Harvey Awards. It’s a Lambda Literary Finalist for Best LGBT Graphic Novel and has been added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives. Vivek secured unprecedented access to Beatles music for a proposed film adaptation.
Vivek is also a pioneering producer in the world of site-specific, tech-based, and immersive music experiences. He consulted on the creation and development of The Walking Dead Escape and The Walking Dead Experience. He served on the Board of Directors for New York’s seminal GAle GAtes et al—considered to be the founders of immersive theatre. He also produced experiential shows and installations for boundary-pushing companies such as The Wooster Group, Fischerspooner, and the São Paulo Art Biennial.
Prior to founding TEG and online music education/empowerment company StarPolish, Vivek held a number of major label music industry positions and has worked with artists covering the entire musical spectrum from Bruce Springsteen to Britney Spears.
Among many charitable pursuits, Vivek is the Co-Founder of Musicians On Call, a nonprofit organization that uses music and entertainment to complement the healing process. Vivek is a two-time honoree (2020, 2021) of Gold House’s A100 List to celebrate Asians and Asian American & Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and their transformative contributions to society. He lives in New York with his inspiring wife Tracy and their delightful children Kavi and Nandini.
About Tiwary Entertainment Group:
TEG+ is the only production company that focuses on collaborating with the music industry and celebrity artists to create work that is narrative, experiential, and/or immersive. TEG+ develops, finances, and produces with a platform nimble approach-- producing across the media spectrum for Broadway, film, television, graphic novels, the metaverse, Augmented & Mixed Reality, and beyond. TEG+ works solely with High Profile Music-- A-list musicians, music catalogs, composers, estates, record labels, and music publishers. Current projects include Radiohead's Hamlet Hail to the Thief and Brendan Hunt's Beatles-centered The Movement You Need. Past projects include Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, Green Day's American Idiot, and The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story. TEG+ projects have won multiple industry awards including 25 Tony Awards, a Grammy Award, 2 Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards, and more. Notable points of recognition for TEG+ projects include a #1 New York Times Bestseller and inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Visit TiwaryEnt.com.
About Steppenwolf Theatre Company:
Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation’s premier Ensemble Theater with 49 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions have made this theatre legendary. From the 1980 phenomenon of Balm in Gilead, to The Grapes of Wrath, August: Osage County, Downstate, The Brother/Sister Plays, and now, the 2025 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Purpose, Steppenwolf Theatre has had a long-running and undeniable impact on American Theater and Chicago's cultural landscape. Founded in 1976, Steppenwolf started as a group of teens performing in the basement of a church. Today, the company's artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theatre, whose vitality is defined by its appetite for bold and innovative work. Every aspect of Steppenwolf is rooted in its Ensemble ethos, from the intergenerational artistic programming to the multi-genre performance series LookOut, to the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education and Engagement which serves nearly 15,000 teens annually. While grounded in the Chicago community, more than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Steppenwolf also holds accolades that include the National Medal of Arts, 14 Tony Awards, two Pulitzer Prize-winning commissions and more. Led by Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, Executive Director Brooke Flanagan and Board of Trustees Chair Keating Crown — Steppenwolf continually redefines the boundaries of live theater and pushes the limits of acting and performance.
Steppenwolf’s Mission: Steppenwolf strives to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. We succeed when we disrupt your routine with experiences that spark curiosity, empathy and joy. We invite you to join our ensemble as we navigate, together, our complex world. steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.