Photo Flash: First Look at Artists Rep's THE HUMANS, Performances Added

Artists Rep presents the 2016 Tony Award winner for Best New Play The Humans, by Stephen Karam, directed by Dámaso Rodríguez from November 19 through December 17 on the theatre's intimate Morrison Stage. Artists Rep is one of the first regional theatres in the nation to produce The Humans featuring a local cast and design team.

Even prior to the first preview performance, tickets for The Humans are in high demand. With these robust advance ticket sales, including an entirely sold out week of preview performances, Artists Rep has added three dates to their four-week run of The Humans. Added performances include: Tuesday, November 28 at 7:30pm, Tuesday, December 5 at 7:30pm and Sunday, December 17 at 7:30pm. Due to schedule conflicts the production cannot extend.

It's the small dinner party that made big waves on Broadway about a fractured family at its not-so-finest. The Humans layers the fabric of a family's past as they gather at the New York Chinatown apartment of the youngest daughter and her boyfriend for a holiday meal. As the Blake family pokes at old wounds and forcibly stumbles through treasured traditions, tensions bubble over, secrets fight their way to the surface, and the world creaks curiously around them.

"I had the opportunity to experience The Humans in its Broadway run and marveled at how Karam had made a living document, a time capsule, of our early 21stCentury American experience in the same way that Clifford Odets did of the 1930s and Arthur Miller of the 1940s and 1950s," said play director and Artists Rep Artistic Director Dámaso Rodríguez. "I immediately wanted to share the experience with our Portland audiences in Artists Rep's intimate venue. That we're opening our production on Thanksgiving weekend just as families begin to gather for seasonal celebrations is perfect timing."

Rodríguez continues: "Running 90 minutes, real-time, The Humans is a hyper-realistic imitation of life. With humor and compassion, Karam masterfully evokes the ubiquitous anxieties of the U.S. middle class - from health stresses to class tensions to an uncertain financial future - within the three generations of the Blake family. I know I see myself, my siblings, cousins, parents and grandparents represented in this family on stage - and I believe audiences will, too."

The Humans cast includes Resident Artists Val Landrum, John San Nicolas and Vana O'Brien, Portland actors Luisa Sermol and Quinlan Fitzgerald, and Seattle-area actor Robert Pescovitz. Along with director Dámaso Rodríguez, the production's Portland creative team includes Megan Wilkerson (Scenic Design), Gregory Pulver (Costume Design), Kristeen Crosser (Light Design), Phil Johnson (Sound Design), Mary McDonald-Lewis (Voice & Text Director) along with Luan Schooler serving as Dramaturg and Roy Arauz as Assistant Director.

The Humans is the second play by Stephen Karam produced by Artists Rep. In 2008, Karam's Speech and Debate enjoyed sold-out houses and an extended run.

TICKETS: $50-$60 regular price; $25 preview/student/under 25

Buy Tickets: 503.241.1278 or www.artistsrep.org

Photo Credit: Russell J. Young