Human Race Theatre’s 2022-23 season offers tales of family, race, autism
‘A Soldier’s Play,’ ‘Barbecue,’ ‘Indigo’ among highlights.
Multiple premieres and the naughty return of Cindy Lou Who are among the components of the Human Race Theatre Company’s 2022-2023 season.
Embracing its mission of “exploring the human condition,” the organization’s 36th season at the Loft Theatre seeks to entertain and challenge audiences with wide-ranging topics such as family, national security, dementia, creativity, race and autism. The lineup was created by outgoing/retiring artistic director Kevin Moore and incoming artistic director Emily N. Wells.
“Art and theater, in particular, are such an empathy connector,” said Wells. “The storytelling we do on our stage can make a connection with an audience member in such an unexpected way
that it maybe changes how they interact with the world around them.”
One of the biggest draws of the season is the national tour of Charles Fuller’s 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning, Black-centric military drama “A Soldier’s Play,” 2020 Tony winner for Best Revival of a Play from Roundabout Theatre Company, which will be co-presented by the Human Race and Dayton Live at the Victoria Theatre. Starring Tony nominee Norm Lewis (“Porgy and Bess”), the tour’s only Ohio engagement will be in Dayton.
“‘A Soldier’s Play’ is a great play,” Moore said. “It’s wonderful that our subscribers are able to tap into a great connection with Dayton Live and return to the Victoria Theatre as well.”
“We couldn’t say no,” Wells added. “It’s a great fit for us.”
Another major highlight is “Indigo,” a world premiere contemporary musical by Scott Evan Davis, Jay Kuo and Lorenzo Thione about a non-verbal teen with autism and the family that takes her in. The show will be helmed by Dayton native Schele Williams, an in-demand Broadway director whose upcoming projects include the musical adaptation of “The Notebook” at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and the musical “Mandela” at the Young Vic in London.
“‘Indigo’ is brilliant,” Moore said. “It has Pulitzer Prize written all over it. It takes the audience on an emotional, powerful, funny and smart journey with great music.”
“There’s also a wonderful through-line about intergenerational connectedness, which is so special, especially in a small-cast musical,” Wells added. “We look forward to shining a light on the mother-daughter/caregiver relationship in the show in an intimate way that is appropriate for our stage.”
The intriguing season includes the local premiere of George Brant’s one-person military drama “Grounded,” the world premiere of Canadian playwrights Marcia Kash and Douglas E. Hughes’ comedic thriller “Deadline,” and the local premiere of Cincinnati native Robert O’Hara’s envelope-pushing comedy “Barbecue.”
The inclusion of O’Hara’s work, which radically shifts the racial makeup of the characters during the course of the play, is key to the organization’s outreach.
“We are making an effort to look toward much more diversity on the season,” Moore said. “I remember reading ‘Barbecue’ and laughing my way through it. It’s hysterical.”
“‘Barbecue’ is hilarious, devastating and piercing in such a wonderful way,” Wells added. “It penetrates so many layers of celebrity, addiction and self-destruction. It also tackles cultural appropriation, which is such a conversation in the industry right now and flips it around from a completely different perspective.”
Wells is also excited about “Deadline,” which the organization describes as a hybrid of “Clue” and “Knives Out.”
“What appealed to me is watching these characters literally get sucked into the world they’re creating, which is so much of what we talk about in theater,” she said. “We want to transport our audience into a new world, but we don’t think about the people on stage also getting transported. This play offers a surprise twist on the comedic murder mystery. We’re also planning to partner with Dayton Metro Library due to the time of year since they particularly (emphasize) thrillers and murder mysteries in the fall.”
The season extra will be Matthew Lombardo’s irreverent comedy “Who’s Holiday!” Wright State University graduate Alex Sunderhaus will reprise her hilarious, interactive portrayal of the aforementioned Cindy Lou Who.
“‘Who’s Holiday’ was so successful last year, and we’re thinking about how to make it more celebratory around the holidays this time,” Wells said. “In order to shake things up a bit, we’re thinking about opening up some different performance times, such as 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. on the weekends.”
Five-Show Loft subscription packages are available. Other “flexible options” include three and four-show packages and annual memberships. “Who’s Holiday!” may be added to any package. Renewals and new subscriptions are available. All tickets are available through Dayton Live Box Office at 937-228-3630 or https://www.daytonlive.org/series/loft-season/.
The following play descriptions are courtesy of the Human Race Theatre Company.
THE HUMAN RACE’S 2022-23 LOFT THEATRE SEASON ‘Grounded’
By George Brant Directed by Emily N. Wells Sept. 8 – 25 “‘Grounded’ tells the story of a hot-shot F16 fighter pilot whose unexpected pregnancy ends her career in the sky. After maternity leave, she is reassigned as a reluctant operator of remotely piloted aircraft in the Middle East… (‘Grounded’) is a frightening reflection on war and the controversial wartime use of drones and demonstrates the psychological effects experienced by a human who has the power of a wrathful deity.”
‘Deadline’
By Marcia Kash and Douglas E. Hughes
Oct. 27 – Nov. 13 “Playwrights Don and Mara are hired to finish a famous mystery writer’s last play following his mysterious death, shortly before its Broadway opening. The play takes place on a yacht, where an estranged family has been called together for the reading of their mother’s will. As Don and Mara delve deeper into the writing process, they suddenly find themselves literally sucked into the play, trapped in the very world they are trying to complete, where solving the mystery becomes a matter of life and death.”
‘Who’s Holiday!’
By Matthew Lombardo Dec. 8 - 23
Directed by Joe Deer “She’s back! That over-indulgent, holiday celebrant Cindy Lou Who is back to make your holidays bright! ‘Who’s Holiday!’ is offering up some old, some new, some borrowed and some ‘blue’ Christmas to kick your holidays into overdrive. First-timers and returnees are all welcome! Cindy Lou does not discriminate. She’ll offend everyone!”
‘A Soldier’s Play’
By Charles Fuller
Feb. 14 – 19, 2023
“In 1944, on a Louisiana Army base, two shots ring out. A Black sergeant is murdered. And a series of interrogations triggers a gripping barrage of questions about sacrifice, service and identity in America.”
‘Barbecue’
By Robert O’Hara
April 13 – 30, 2023
“In this hilarious and devastating comedy by Robert O’Hara, the four O’Mallery siblings have planned a barbecue picnic for their youngest sister, Barbara, but it is more of an intervention to confront her outrageous behavior and reckless drug and alcohol use. We soon learn that the entire family is a mess and each sibling is in need of their own intervention. When the lights return, so do the four siblings: same park, same situation, same personalities, but they are Black instead of White. From that moment, the two parallel families alternate, and the barbecue becomes raucous and unpredictable.”
‘Indigo’
Music & Lyrics by Scott Evan Davis
Book by Jay Kuo, Lorenzo Thione & Scott Evan Davis Directed by Schele Williams June8–25,2023 “Emma, a non-verbal teen with autism, finds her life upended when the death of her father leaves her in an uncomprehending world. For Emma, the world is a chaotic place until it shifts to the cool blue shades of Indigo, where she is centered and calm in her inner thoughts and dreams. Emma must learn to connect and form bonds with her new family who face daunting challenges of their own. ‘Indigo’ is a celebration of the human heart and spirit, a moving call for empathy and compassion in a world that often feels devoid of them.”