Signature Theatre has revealed the cast and creative team for its upcoming production of Eboni Booth's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Primary Trust. Performances run September 10-October 20 at Signature's ARK Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. Taylor Reynolds is set to direct.
The production will star Julius Thomas III (The Scottsboro Boys) as Kenneth, Frank Britton (Jesus Hopped The ‘A’ Train) as Bert, Yesenia Iglesias (Daphne’s Dive) as Corrina, and Craig Wallace (King Lear) as Clay. Understudies Ezinne Elele (This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing) and Jeremy Keith Hunter (Topdog/Underdog) round out the company. Casting is by Jorge Acevedo, with New York casting by Geoff Josselson.
“When I first read Primary Trust, I fell in love with Eboni Booth’s sweetly moving play about forging new connections and seeing the world in a new light,” Signature’s Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner said in a statement. “It soon became clear that I wasn’t the only one who loved this play—Primary Trust was the 2024 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. I’m excited to welcome Taylor Reynolds to direct this D.C. premiere here at Signature. Taylor is no stranger to D.C. audiences, having directed critically-acclaimed productions at Studio Theatre and Woolly Mammoth, and I can’t wait to see how she brings this beautiful story to life in our intimate ARK Theatre.”
"In a theatrical landscape where plays and musicals are getting bigger and flashier, Primary Trust stands out as an intimate space for audiences to examine our relationship to loneliness, grief, and our desire for connection together,” added Reynolds. “Playwright Eboni Booth gives us a guide through this examination in Kenneth, a Black man in a mostly white town in a time before cell phones. Through him, we are able to question for ourselves, 'How does anyone accomplish the impossible and wonderful feat of making a friend?' Immersing myself in the world of Primary Trust has given me the opportunity to open up conversations around collective loneliness and grief in my communities. We are all walking around holding so much and may often feel like we have to bear it alone. My hope is that this play lightens that load and highlights the resiliency within us all. I am delighted to direct Eboni's Pulitzer Prize-winning play and overjoyed to work at Signature and return to the D.C. area.”
The creative team includes scenic designer Misha Kachman, costume designer Danielle Preston, lighting designer Venus Gulbranson, sound designer Frederick Kennedy, production stage manager Kate Kilbane, and production assistant Majenta Thomas. Signature's production will also feature original music by Kennedy.
As previously reported, Signature's season also includes productions of Soft Power, In the Heights, Job, and more.
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