StageWorks Staged Reading of
“The Christians”
By Lucas Hnath
Directed by Melissa Gard, with Brent Graber, Brad Mazick, Hugh Page Jr., Jacquetta Page, and Da’Shonae “Dae” Reeves, and
Featuring a live choir directed by Jamie Lake and accompanied by Madeline Crosbie, including Renee Chapple, Jenny DeDario, Brenda Gilmore, Seyhan Kilic and Maureen Wojciechowski.
THE STORY: Pastor Paul’s church was nothing more than a modest storefront 20 years ago. Now he presides over a congregation of thousands, with classrooms for Sunday school, a coffee shop in the lobby and a baptismal font as big as a swimming pool. Today should be a day of celebration. But Paul is about to preach a sermon that will shake the foundations of his church’s beliefs. A big-little play that uses the theatricality of microphones to examine faith in America – and the trouble with changing your mind about it.
“The Christians is both epic and unexpectedly intimate, an unflinching look at faith in America – and its power to unite or divide.” – Playwrights Horizons
History
“The Christians” premiered at the Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Humana Festival on March 8, 2014. The play then debuted off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons on September 17, 2015. The Christians premiered in the UK at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, as part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2015 before transferring to the Gate Theatre, London.
Winner! 2016 Obie Award for Excellence in Playwriting
Winner! 2016 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New off-Broadway Play
Winner! 2015 Kesselring Prize
Nominee: 2016 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play
Nominee: 2016 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play
“Transfixing… cunning, sexy, ultimately highly disturbing.” – The New York Times
“Raises probing questions about how and why organized religion can be a divisive, if not abusive, social force… consistently combines formal invention with intellectual inquiry. Mr. Hnath is quickly emerging as one of the brightest new voices of his generation.” – The New York Times
“Powerful, riveting… handles a complex and intellectual debate in a relatable way and thsat, more importantly, shows the human and real consequences of choices based in spirituality.” – National Catholic Reporter
“Plants the audience squarely in the thick of the battle… utterly engrossing… many attendees bowed their heads at each call for prayer before reminding themselves that this is, in fact, just a play.” – Broadway World
Lucas Hnath’s most recent play, Dana H., was at the Vineyard Theatre in New York. Lucas received a 2017 Tony Award nomination for Best Play with A Doll’s House, Part 2. Hnath’s other plays include Hillary and Clinton, The Thin Place, Red Speedo, The Christians, A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney, Isaac’s Eye and Death Tax. He has been produced on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre and Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, Soho Rep and Ensemble Studio Theatre. His plays have also premiered at the Humana Festival of New Plays, Victory Gardens and South Coast Repertory. He is a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect, a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre and an alumnus of New Dramatists. Awards: Whiting Award, Guggenheim Fellowship, Kesselring Prize, Outer Critics Circle Award for Best New Play, Obie Award for Playwriting, Steinberg Playwright Award and the Windham-Campbell Literary Prize.
