Amelia Community Theatre
Press Release
Submitted by Linda McClane
January 28, 2020
Amelia Community Theatre opens the Tony-Award winning play “The Humans” on January 31 on its main stage at 207 Cedar Street. The opening night audience is invited to enjoy complimentary refreshments at the preshow party in the lobby from 7-8 p.m.
Written by playwright Stephen Karam, this comedic drama was also a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize. It is the story of three generations of the Blake family, gathered together to celebrate Thanksgiving in New York. Erik and Deirdre Blake drive in from Scranton, Pennsylvania, with Erik’s mother who is suffering from dementia and is mostly confined to a wheelchair. Their daughter Amy, an attorney, takes the train from Philadelphia. They arrive at the Chinatown section of lower Manhattan to see younger daughter Brigid’s new apartment, shared with her boyfriend Richard.
Amy and Richard’s belongings and furniture haven’t arrived, since the moving truck has been held up by parade traffic, so Thanksgiving dinner is on card tables with paper plates. There are strange noises in the building that create an unsettled mood for the family get-together, a mood that intensifies as secrets are revealed over the course of the meal. As the Blake family revels in the holiday traditions of their Irish Catholic heritage, they also expose their weaknesses and strengths – the very things that make them human and needing of each other’s love and support.
The apartment has two levels that are connected by a spiral staircase. Designed by Don Yanik, the set gives the audience a unique visual perspective to view action on both floors, sometimes simultaneously.
Director Ron Kurtz says, “I was intrigued by the way the ordinary becomes extraordinary in this play. Audiences will see their own family life reflected on the stage in a positive way, with humor and compassion, and offering some closure to life’s complexities. This show is a glorious celebration of the human in all of us.”
The ensemble cast of “The Humans” includes Audrey Antee, Cody Dobbs, Linda McClane, Katie Stanley, Joseph Stearman, and Sue Weiner. The show is sponsored by Hunter Enterprises South, Inc.
Performances are at 8 p.m. on January 31, February 1, 6-8, 13-15 and at 2 p.m. on February 2 and 9. Tickets are $22 for adults and $10 for students through college, and are available online at AmeliaCommunityTheatre.org and by calling (904) 261-6749. The ACT box office is open from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and ninety minutes before curtain on show dates. “The Humans” has a suggested rating of PG-13 for content and language.