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'The Humans' Begins Performances at Ahmanson Theatre

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THE TONY AWARD-WINNING BEST PLAY “THE HUMANS” BEGINS PERFORMANCES AT CENTER THEATRE GROUP / AHMANSON THEATRE JUNE 19 – JULY 29, 2018

Reed Birney and Jayne Houdyshell Will Reprise Their Tony-Winning Roles for Los Angeles Engagement Only

Center Theatre Group will present Stephen Karam’s Tony Award-winning Best Play “The Humans” at the Ahmanson Theatre June 19 through July 29, 2018, with the official opening set for June 20.

Led by two-time Tony Award-winning director Joe Mantello, Reed Birney and Jayne Houdyshell will reprise their Tony Award-winning performances in “The Humans” for the last stop of the national tour at the Ahmanson. The cast will also include previous Broadway company members Cassie Beck, Lauren Klein, Nick Mills and Sarah Steele.

The entire creative team of the Broadway production returns for the national tour, including Tony Award-winning scenic designer David Zinn, costume designer Sarah Laux, Tony Award-nominated lighting designer Justin Townsend and Drama Desk Award-winning sound designer Fitz Patton.

“The Humans,” the 2016 Tony Award-winning Best Play, garnered the most ecstatic reviews of any play in recent memory and was heralded as “The Best Play of the Year” by The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, The Record, Time Out New York, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline and The Wrap.

The angst, anguish and amity of the American middle class are first coaxed—then shoved—into the light in this uproarious, hopeful and heartbreaking play that takes place over the course of a family dinner on Thanksgiving. Breaking with tradition, Erik Blake (Birney) has brought his Pennsylvania family to celebrate and give thanks at his daughter’s apartment in lower Manhattan. As darkness falls outside the ramshackle pre-war duplex, and eerie things start to go bump in the night, the Blake clan’s deepest fears and greatest follies are laid bare. Our modern age of anxiety is keenly observed, with humor and compassion, in this new American classic.

After transferring from Off-Broadway’s Laura Pels Theatre, the Broadway production began performances on Sunday, January 24, 2016, and officially opened on Thursday, February 18 at the Helen Hayes Theatre. Sweeping the 2016 awards season, the limited engagement was extended and moved on August 9 to the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, thereby doubling its capacity. At the time of its closing, “The Humans” had played 502 performances in New York.

“The Humans” is the recipient of four 2016 Tony Awards including Best Play (Author, Stephen Karam), Best Featured Actress in a Play (Jayne Houdyshell), Best Featured Actor in a Play (Reed Birney) and Best Scenic Design of a Play (David Zinn) and four Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Play, Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play (Justin Townsend), Outstanding Sound Design in a Play (Fitz Patton) and a 2016 Special Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble. In 2016, “The Humans” was named the Best Play of the Year by the New York Drama Critics’ Circle, the Outer Critics Circle and the Drama League. The Obie Awards honored Stephen Karam with a 2016 Award for Playwriting and Jayne Houdyshell with a 2016 Award for Performance.

“The Humans,” a 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist, is Stephen Karam’s second play commissioned by Roundabout Theatre Company following his Pulitzer Prize finalist “Sons of the Prophet” (his first Roundabout commission; 2011) and the hugely acclaimed premiere of “Speech & Debate” (2007).

“The Humans” is produced by Scott Rudin, Barry Diller, Fox Theatricals, James L. Nederlander, Roy Furman, Jon B. Platt, Eli Bush, The John Gore Organization, Jack Lane, Barbara Whitman, Jay Alix & Una Jackman, Sonia Friedman, Amanda Lipitz, Peter May, Stephanie P. McClelland, The Shubert Organization and Diana DiMenna. Joey Parnes, Sue Wagner and John Johnson serve as Executive Producers.

Center Theatre Group, one of the nation’s preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles’ leading nonprofit theatre company, which, under Artistic Director Michael Ritchie, programs seasons at the 736-seat Mark Taper Forum and 1600 to 2000-seat Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. In addition to presenting and producing the broadest range of theatrical entertainment in the country,

Center Theatre Group is one of the nation’s leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics and circumstance to serve Los Angeles.

Tickets for “The Humans” are available by calling (213) 972-4400, online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, or by visiting the Center Theatre Group Box Office located at the Ahmanson Theatre. Tickets range from $30 – $130 (ticket prices are subject to change). The Ahmanson Theatre is located at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, 90012.

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June 12, 2018