For the upcoming 2023-2024 season, The Human Race Theatre Company sparks creativity, imagination and invention through a season of “Stories in Motion,” with shows inspired by or adapted from existing tales.
Each title has been intentionally selected to challenge and advance theatrical storytelling, our audiences, and our theatre company. This evolution can only be experienced in the theatre because every night is a unique exchange between the playwright’s vision, the performer and audience. This 38th year marks the first season helmed by new Artistic Director Emily N. Wells.
“Theatre has a unique ability to tell stories in a way that sparks an audience’s imagination – as if they are inside story,” said Wells. “Theatre and storytelling live as dynamic, evolving art forms, just as we evolve as people.” She adds. We are transforming well-known stories and timeless themes into stage productions designed for modern audiences. Connected by a theme of adaptation, this season of Stories in Motion presents contemporary plays and musicals through the artist’s lens.
This is Tom Jones!
Book, Lyrics & Music by Mark Brown
Music by Paul Mirkovich
Director Emily N. Wells
September 7 – 24, 2023 at the Loft Theatre
Henry Fielding’s heart-throbbing masterpiece meets the frenzied, mop-top sounds of the 1960s known as the British Invasion. Aristocrats, wenches and scalawags abound in this bawdy and rollicking romp through the back roads and bedchambers of England.
Recommended if you liked Austin Powers, The Full Monty, Avenue Q.
Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous
By Pearl Cleage
Director Torie Wiggins
October 26 – November 12, 2023 at the Loft Theatre
After decades of self-imposed exile in Amsterdam, actress Anna Campbell and her manager Betty Sampson receives an invitation to remount their controversial performance piece “Naked Wilson.” Uncertain of her reception, Anna auditions her possible replacement, an ambitious young performer whose experience is limited to the adult entertainment industry. These two women confront their differing world views with humor and grace–and still manage to find common ground.
Recommended if you liked August Wilson, Master Class, Crowns, Art, Red.
Reindeer Sessions
By Eric Ulloa
Director Igor Goldin
December 13 – 23, 2023 at the Loft Theatre
After a fight that left history’s most famous reindeer with a broken red nose, Blitzen is forced into a series of Anger Management therapy sessions by Kringle Enterprises. Tasked with finding the cause of this violent outburst, his therapist Dr. Arbor hopes to help him understand what led to this moment and if he can save his job on the reindeer squad. Instead, she hears what really happened on that foggy Christmas Eve. You won’t look at The North Pole the same way again in this hilarious and unexpected ride!
Recommended if you liked Who’s Holiday, The Santaland Diaries.
Shipwrecked! An Entertainment: The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (as Told by Himself)
By Donald Margulies
Director Greg Hellems
February 22 – March 10, 2024 at the Loft Theatre
The adventurous Louis de Rougemont invites you to hear his amazing story of bravery, survival and celebrity that left 19th-century England spellbound. Dare to be whisked away in a story of the high seas and all corners of the globe, populated by flying wombats, giant sea turtles and a monstrous man-eating octopus. Shipwrecked examines how far we’re willing to blur the line between fact and fiction to leave our mark on the world.
Recommended if you liked Around the World in 80 Days, The 39 Steps, Peter & the Starcatcher.
Peerless
By Jiehae Park
Director Marya Spring Cordes
April 25 – May 12, 2024 at the Loft Theatre
Twins M and L have given up everything to get into The College. So when D gets “their” spot instead, they figure they’ve got only one option: kill him. A darkly comedic take on Shakespeare’s Macbeth about the ultra-ambitious and the cut-throat world of high school during college admissions.
Recommended if you liked Macbeth, Lizzie.
The Kite Runner
Adapted by Matthew Spangler
Based on the novel by Khaled Hosseini
May 28 – June 2, 2024 at the Victoria Theatre
Based on Khaled Hosseini’s beloved, internationally best-selling novel, THE KITE RUNNER is a powerful new play adapted by Matthew Spangler that follows one man’s journey to confront his past and find redemption. Afghanistan is a divided country, and two childhood friends are about to be torn apart. Told across two decades and two continents, THE KITE RUNNER is an unforgettable journey of forgiveness, and shows us all that we can be good again.
Season Subscription Options
We are so enthusiastic about every show this coming season, we’re making them all available in a 6-Show Subscription Package! Other “Flexible Options” include 3-show packages, and annual Memberships. By popular demand, a Parents Day Out Series is available at no additional charge. Military and student discounts available. Renewal packages will be available mid-April and new subscriptions can be purchased soon after.
All tickets are available through Dayton Live Box Office at 937-228-3630 or daytonlive.com.
The Human Race expresses gratitude for the public and private support which makes these productions possible.
Sustainability sponsors: Anne F. Johnson, Steve and Lou Mason, ELM Foundation, and Morris Furniture Company
Additional Season support: Miriam Rosenthal Foundation for the Arts, Erma R. Catterton Trust, The Shubert Foundation
Organizational support: Culture Works, Montgomery County, Ohio Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Dayton Region Arts Renewal Grant
Media Sponsor: WDPR Discover Classical
Pay What You Can Sponsor: Enterprise Holdings Foundation