Relics and Their Humans, Ain Gordon and Josh Quillen at Nimoy Theater

Relics and Their Humans marks the second collaboration between writer, director, and performer Ain Gordon and composer, writer, and performer Josh Quillen. Their first project, Radicals in Miniature — which premiered at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in 2017 — was a New York Times Critic’s Pick.

This new work is a theatrical and musical journey to Quillen’s hometown of Dover, Ohio, tracing his family’s three-year odyssey following his father’s ALS diagnosis in 2006. Three powerful relics anchor the piece: a recorded interview with Quillen’s mother, his father’s journal, and a surprising playlist.

Through Gordon and Quillen’s spirited performances, Talvin Wilks’s inventive dramaturgy, and Jennifer Tipton’s evocative lighting, these personal artifacts are transformed into a deeply moving experience that lingers long after the final scene.