THE HUMANS Comes to Olney Theatre Center

Olney Theatre Center, recipient of 27 nominations for the 2020 Helen Hayes Awards, begins rehearsals tomorrow for The Humans by Stephen Karam and directed by Aaron Posner. The 6th show of the 2019-2020 season runs on the Mainstage, April 1 - May 3, 2020. Press is invited to attend the performance on Saturday, April 4 at 8:00 pm.

Says Jason Loewith, Artistic Director of Olney Theatre Center, "One of the most highly-praised new plays of the last decade deserves one of the most talented teams of artists for its DMV resident premiere. So we're proud to bring together award-winning director Aaron Posner with the region's most lauded actors for Stephen Karam's extraordinary play The Humans."

The Humans tells the story of the Blakes, a middle-class American family celebrating a most unusual Thanksgiving. This year, they gather in New York City at youngest daughter Brigid's Chinatown apartment - a basement duplex that would feel like a bargain if not for the lack of sunlight and the sudden, unexplained, loud noises coming from upstairs. Normally they celebrate in Scranton, but the break with tradition is just one of many disruptions with which they're forced to contend. Stephen Karam's brilliant play delivers both the warm comfort of family and a thoroughly modern anxiety about what's on the other side of the wall.

The ensemble consists of some of DC's finest actors. Dani Stoller (The Crucible) plays Brigid, the youngest daughter, who is hosting the meal with boyfriend Richard, played by Jonathan Raviv (The Lightning Thief). Mitch Hébert (Cabaret) is Erik, the father of the tribe, harboring his own secrets, and Sherri L. Edelen (How to Succeed...)is his wife Deirdre, who often serves as the target of her children's teasing. Kimberly Gilbert makes her Olney Theatre Mainstage debut, (Harper in the 2016 Angels in America co-production with Round House Theatre) as Aimee, the elder Blake daughter suffering from a variety of personal, professional and physical ailments. The family unit is completed by Catie Flye, making her first OTC appearance in years, as Momo, the wheelchair-bound grandmother, mumbling through a haze of dementia.

Posner's creative team includes OTC veterans Paige Hathaway (Set Design), Max Doolittle (Lighting Design) and Sarah O'Halloran (Sound Design). Kelsey Hunt (Costume Design) makes her OTC debut along with Stage Manager Hethyr (Red) Verhoef.

Tickets begin at $44.

Available at olneytheatre.org or by calling the Box Office 301-924-3400

Discounts available for groups, seniors, military and students.