PRIMARY TRUST Comes to Farmers Alley Theatre

Farmers Alley Theatre will ring in the new year and present Primary Trust by Eboni Booth opening January 22, 2026. Two extra performances have already been added due to strong ticket sales: Sat 1/24/26 at 7:30pm and Sat 1/31/26 at 7:30pm.

This heartwarming, Pulitzer Prize winning play, focuses on Kenneth, a 38-year-old longtime bookstore worker, who is perfectly content with his after-work routine: a Mai Tai (or two) at the local tiki bar. But when his employer decides to close the bookstore, Kenneth must turn the page and choose a new direction—including some daring steps into a world he has evaded. Primary Trust is a “tender, delicately detailed portrait” (The New York Times) about new beginnings. An open-hearted, “utterly absorbing, very funny, darn near perfect play” (The Daily Beast) about leaving your comfort zone to find fulfillment.

Directing our production of Primary Trust is Broadway veteran and Kalamazoo native, Jerry Dixon. Jerry mounted the Farmers Alley Theatre production of Songs for a New World in 2021, which was our triumphant return to live theatre after the COVID epidemic. Jerry will be guiding a very talented cast including professional Chicago actors DeVaughn Asante Loman as “Kenneth”, Byron Glenn Willis as “Bert” as well as dynamic local actors like Bianca Washington (Disgraced) as “Corinna & Others” and Michael Ray Helms (Gypsy and Superior Donuts) as “Sam & Others”.

Executive Director Rob Weiner says “I'm so excited for our audiences to experience and connect with Primary Trust this winter. Eboni Booth's script is so sharp and authentic, I think everyone will identify in some ways with Kenneth's journey.” Weiner continues, “And to have a leader at the helm like Kalamazoo's own Broadway star, Jerry Dixon to direct, I'm certain this play will resonate with every theatregoer who attends.  Much like last year's smash hit A Jukebox for the Algonquin, this play is a brilliant combination of humor and heart that audiences will fall in love with.”