Stephen Karam's THE HUMANS to Open at American Lives Theatre
Performances will run from April 24 - May 11.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Apr. 15, 2025
American Lives Theatre will present the Indiana premiere of Stephen Karam's Tony Award-winning play, "The Humans," as the fourth offering of its fifth season, entitled "Life, Liberty, & The Pursuit." Directed by Matthew Reeder, this poignant and insightful drama will run at The Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre in downtown Indianapolis.
"The Humans" takes place during a tense and darkly funny Thanksgiving dinner in a cramped Chinatown apartment. As the evening unfolds, the Blake family's deepest fears and anxieties about their future - financial, physical, and emotional - bubble to the surface, revealing the fragility of family bonds in the face of modern anxieties.
Stephen Karam's masterful play has garnered significant recognition, including the 2016 Tony Award for Best Play, the 2016 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play, and was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Director Matthew Reeder has assembled a stellar cast featuring some of Indianapolis' finest talent: Wendy Brown, Eric Bryant, Trent K. Hawthorne-Richards, Eva Patton, Susannah Quinn, and Jenni White. Notably, this production marks the welcome return of Eva Patton to the ALT stage, who previously captivated audiences in the company's 2022 production of "The Lifespan of a Fact."
American Lives Theatre is committed to accessibility, and will offer an ASL Interpreted Performance on Sunday, May 4.
"This play has been on our list for five years," says ALT Artistic Director Chris Saunders. "It's just a play about a family. And how needlessly complicated life can feel. It's truly laugh out loud funny with real theatrical magic," he said.
Indianapolis Awards - Live Stats
Best Musical - Top 3
1.
XANADU (Red Barn Summer Theatre)
18.9% of votes
2.
BE MORE CHILL (Eclipse Theatre Co)
9.5% of votes
3.
CAROLINE, OR CHANGE (Footlite Musicals)
7.3% of votes
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