Tag Archives: Human Race Theatre Company

DEADLINE, a comedy thriller, hits the stage for the first time in its World Premiere production at The Human Race Theatre Company. Canadian playwrights Marcia Kash and Douglas E. Hughes pen this witty and surprising homage to the murder-mystery genre made great by Agatha Christie and Peter Sellars with performances from October 27 – November 13, 2022 at the Loft Theatre.

When a famous playwright dies unexpectedly, leaving behind his highly anticipated but unfinished play, writers Don and Mara are hired to complete it in time for an imminent Broadway opening. With the clock ticking and armed with only the first twenty-five pages of the script, the couple try to get inside the author’s head; instead, they find themselves sucked into the world he has created, cruising around the Caribbean aboard a luxury yacht with members of the cursed Bloodworth family. After one of their shipmates is murdered, Don and Mara realize their only chance of getting home is to write an ending before they meet their own.

“Marcia and Doug have paired a twisty “whodunit” with smart comedy writing, giving our audiences a treat that will feel fresh and familiar all at the same time,” comments Emily N. Wells, Human Race Theatre Company artistic director.  “Thrillers allow us to question our own perceptions of reality – what we think is true versus the facts – and DEADLINE delivers,” she continues. Cincinnati actor and director Jason Podplesky brings the production to life with a stellar cast of familiar faces. Audiences may remember Jason from his recent triple-role performance in Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help last April.

Wells also shares that for the remainder of the 22-23 season, The Human Race Theatre Company launches two new ticket initiatives: two sections of $20 seats available at any time through the box office, and ten $10 rush seats available 90 minutes before any performance. “It’s an invitation to laugh with us, be moved by a story, and share that experience with your neighbor,” she says.

In the all-local cast for this world premiere production are:  Annie Pesch as Mara/Meredith (Family Shots); Josh Aaron McCabe as Don/Silas (Everything That’s Beautiful); Andrew Ian Adams as Dean/Trevor (Airness); Barry Mullholand as Bartholemew (Cincinatti Shakespeare Company); Christine Brunner as Devorah (Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help); and Adelyn Rae Helms as Tabitha (Theatre LAB’s Something Rotten).

Joining Podplesky on the DEADLINE production team are: Ray Zupp, Scenic Design;  John Rensel, Lighting Design; Janet G. Powell, Costume Design; Brando Triantafillou, Sound Design; k. Jenny Jones, Fight Director; Sarah Gomes, Props; Mark Tynan, Production Stage Manager; and Joseph Adams, Production Assistant. For press ticket requests, please contact Monique Cooper, Company Manager at monique@humanracetheatre.org

DEADLINE will play in the Loft Theatre in downtown Dayton, October 27 – November 13, 2022.  Tickets are on sale through Dayton Live box office, 937-228-3630, or online at http://www.humanracetheatre.org   More details about the show can be found on our website.

Special Nights at The Loft:

• Pay What You CAN – Wed. October 26 at 8 pm – Non-perishable food donations benefit The Foodbank; 100% of cash donations benefit the Take & Make Program at Dayton Metro Library
• Inside Track – Thursday, Oct. 27 8pm – Pre-show Discussion at 7:15pm
• Sawbuck Sunday – Sunday, Oct. 29 7 pm – $10 tickets available 5:30pm at the door
• While We’re On The Subject – Sunday, Nov. 8 2pm – Post-Show Discussion w/ a surprise guest

The Human Race acknowledges its gratitude for the public and private support which makes these productions possible: The Loft Season Sponsors: Jack W. and Sally D. Eichelberger Foundation; Sustainability sponsors:  Anne F. Johnson, Steve and Lou Mason, 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.

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The Human Race Theatre Company opens the season with a play by Cleveland-based playwright George Brant – Grounded – playing September 8-25, 2022 at the Loft Theatre.  This gripping one-woman drama finds a fighter pilot caught between duty to her country and motherhood.

The Pilot, a hot-shot F16 top gun, finds herself grounded when an unexpected pregnancy stalls her flying career.  She reups with the Air Force in the hopes of once again flying her “Tiger,” but finds herself reassigned to a bunker outside Las Vegas. The Pilot struggles through dreamlike 12-hour shifts hunting terrorists by day and being a wife and mother by night, leading her into a downward spiral. The lines crumble between home and professional worlds, and a mistake on the job might just cost her everything.

This production marks The Human Race Theatre Company directorial debut of new Artistic Director Emily N. Wells. “This piece has been fascinating to me since it premiered in New York nearly a decade ago, and even more so after I became a parent,” she comments. “The pilot’s struggle to balance her duty to country and motherhood makes a profound internal conflict. Her ability to exercise control hangs in the balance,” Wells continues. The team has spent time researching women in the United States Air Force and pilot training with community partners including Sinclair Community College, National Museum of the United State Air Force, and retired officers living in the Dayton area.

The role of The Pilot will be played by extraordinary Cincinnati-based actor and playwright Maggie Lou Rader, who audiences will remember from last season as Marie Antoinette in The Revolutionists. “Maggie brings a grounded empathy for her characters that resonates powerfully on stage.

Joining director Emily Wells on the Grounded creative team is:  D. Tristan Cupp and Jeff Heater, Scenic Realizer;  John Rensel, Lighting Designer;  Lianne Arnold, Projection Designer; Jay Brunner, Sound Designer; Production Stage Manager, Mark Tynan; and Andrew Ian Adams, Production Assistant. The team has spent time researching women in the United States Air Force and pilot training with the support of community partners including Sinclair Community College, National Museum of the United States Air Force, and retired officers living in the Dayton area.

Grounded will play at the Loft Theatre in downtown Dayton, September 8-25, 2022.  Tickets are on sale through the Dayton Live box office, 937-228-3630, or online at www.daytonlive.org/events/grounded/.  More details about the show can be found at www.humanracetheatre.org.

Special performances:  

• Pay What You CAN – Wed. September 7 at 8 pm – Non-perishable food donations will benefit The Foodbank. All cash donations will go to American Legion POST 644, the first AL POST for women veterans.
• Inside Track – Thurs., September 8 at 8pm – preshow discussion at 7:10
• Sawbuck Sunday – Sun. September 11 at 7 pm – $10 tickets available 5:30pm at the  door
• While We’re On The Subject – Sun. September 18 at 2pm – Audience Discussion follows performance

The Human Race expresses its gratitude for the public and private support which makes these productions possible including  Culture Works, Montgomery County, Ohio Arts Council, The Shubert Foundation, and the Erma R. Catterton Trust Fund.

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