Thank you so much for your patience as we worked with state and city officials, union representatives and our audiences to plan a safe and celebratory return to LIVE theatre on our stage! The Human Race, Dayton’s premier professional theatre company, can now announce our new schedule for our 34th Season at the Loft Theatre. This season emphasizes The Human Race’s mission – to explore the human experience and promote enlightenment, inclusion and understanding through quality entertainment – with Dayton Premieres.
“Every show this season is a first in Dayton,” states Human Race Artistic Director and Founding Member, Kevin Moore. “This includes a collaborative world premiere, as well as multiple regional and local premieres that will stimulate the conscience of our community and the talents of our artists.”
”We are very excited about our 34th season because it exemplifies the work we are known for” said Executive Director, Kappy Kilburn. “It’s all new, smart, funny, touching, insightful, important and thought provoking.”
The 34th season kicks off with the mysterious comic-drama, Now And Then by Sean Grennan. Spring blooms with laughter as the O’Shea family must confront the Incident At Our Lady Of Perpetual Help by Katie Forgette. Swinging into the summer is a new musical, co-written by a WSU grad and Human Race alum, Christian Duhamel, and composer Ed Bell – the title says it all – My 80-Year-Old Boyfriend. The excitement continues with the thoughtful and timely drama of a family with a transgender child, Everything That’s Beautiful by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder. Then we’ll rock the Loft Theatre with Airness, a new play by Chelsea Marcantel that follows whacky participants in the Air Guitar World Championship.
Plus, there are two Human Race “Extras” this season. Rescheduled for 2021 is the eight-organization collaborative performance, The Art Of Us: A Dayton Mosaic on September 18 and 19 at the Schuster Center – which will include the commissioned World Premiere performance of “Miriam.”
Hang tight as we work with state and local officials, medical advisors and union reps to confirm the schedule for a huge holiday celebration with the Dr. Seuss lampoon Who’s Holiday – a hysterical look at what became of “Cindy Lou Who.” If we can not do it during the 2020 holidays we will be sure to share it in 2021!
5-Show Subscription packages are still available and offer several ways to experience all the fun when and how you want to join us. New subscribers can join now and enjoy all the benefits as well as the early discount ticket prices to the two “Extras.” Or, you can get the ultimate in flexibility with our Flex Passes and Membership options. Contact Ticket Center Stage at 937-228-3630 or www.daytonlive.org.
Join Dayton’s professional theatre for a season of Dayton Premieres.
The Human Race Theatre Company
34th Loft Theatre Season – Dayton Premieres
NOW AND THEN by Sean Grennan February 18 – March 7, 2021
Sometimes what happens after last-call just might change your life forever. One night in 1981, just as Jamie is closing the bar where he works, a desperate last-minute customer offers him and his girlfriend Abby two thousand dollars to sit and have a drink with him. Who wouldn’t take it? As the trio swaps stories and Jamie considers the decisions he faces about his musical career and his future with Abby, the young couple begins to realize that this older man is unusually invested in their choices…and the reason he gives them is completely unbelievable. But when a very displeased second stranger arrives, the unbelievable begins to look like it just might be true. Now and Then is a heartfelt romantic comedy about the costs of the choices we make, and the people who make them with us.
INCIDENT AT OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP by Katie Forgette April 15 – May 2, 2021
A money-strapped family tries to cope in 1973. 19-year-old Linda O’Shea is our narrator and she is attempting to re-enact the most turbulent day of her life, but her family keep interrupting to tell their side of the story. The 70s were a time of old school living; no social media, and public ridicule in a close-knit community was the ultimate nightmare. When her parents ask her to explain to her younger sister about the birds and the bees, somehow the blunt explanation is overheard by the parish priest and he is not amused. When he confronts her parents about the “corruption of their eldest daughter’s very soul,” all “holy Hell” and hysteria breaks loose in this nostalgic comedy.
MY 80-YEAR-OLD BOYFRIEND: A New True Musical June 10 – 27, 2021
Book & Lyrics by Christian Duhamel Music & Lyrics by Ed Bell
Originally Conceived & Performed by Charissa Bertels
In this delightful new musical, Charissa, a quirky, twenty-something actress, meets Milton, a quick-witted, eighty-something millionaire who loves Schubert, Shakespeare, and Dallas BBQ. From a chance encounter to the unlikeliest of friendships, Charissa discovers there’s much she can learn from her surprising new companion. Based on the true story of performer Charissa Bertels, My 80-Year-Old Boyfriend reveals the thrill of chasing a dream, the power of living in the now, and all that can happen when we let ourselves say “yes.”
EVERYTHING THAT’S BEAUTIFUL by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder July 29 – August 15, 2021
When Luke and Jess decide to allow their 8-year-old Morgan, who was assigned male at birth, to identify as female, they relocate in order to give the family a clean start. Luke takes a job at the local waterpark, where he meets Gaby, the girl in the mermaid tank. With money tight, Jess starts working at a local coffee shop where she meets Will. These new relationships provide an escape from an already complicated family life. But when an accident threatens to expose the truth about Morgan, tensions run high. Luke finally admits the real reason they moved, a confession that could potentially destroy their family. Faced with losing his child and his family, Luke must decide what’s worth fighting for.
AIRNESS by Chelsea Marcantel October 21 – November 7, 2021
When Nina enters her first air guitar competition, she thinks winning will be easy. But as she befriends a group of charismatic nerds all committed to becoming the next champion, she discovers that there’s more to this art form than playing pretend; it’s about finding yourself in your favorite songs, and performing with raw joy. Will Nina be able to let go and set herself free onstage? Following her mission to shred or be shredded, Airness is an exuberant reminder that everything we need to rock is already inside us. A comedy about competition, completion, and finding the airness inside yourself.
HUMAN RACE EXTRA!
WHO’S HOLIDAY by Matthew Lombardo December 2021
Our special holiday show is a wildly funny and heartfelt adults-only comedy that tells the story of Cindy Lou Who as she recalls that Christmas Eve she first met the Grinch and the twisted turn of events her life has now taken.
You saw her last when she was just two
Celebrate the holidays with Cindy Lou Who
Pull up a seat and fill up your cup
‘Cause your favorite little Who is all grown up
A special price of $30 for any seating is available to Human Race subscribers through August 17, 2020.
(Rated R for adult language and sexual innuendo)
THE ART OF US: A DAYTON MOSAIC Sept 18, 19, 2021
The 2020–2021 season offers a truly spectacular event showcasing eight of Dayton’s cultural treasures. This collaborative performance highlights the Bach Society of Dayton, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Dayton Ballet, Dayton Opera, Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus, Muse Machine and The Human Race Theatre Company. The Art of Us is made possible with generous support from the Miriam Rosenthal Foundation for the Arts.
This once-in-a-lifetime event at the Schuster Center will include The Human Race, DCDC and Dayton Ballet performing together in a new work, Dancing Dreams, and a commissioned world premiere that will feature performers from all eight organizations.
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.
+Resident Artist of The Human Race Theatre Company.