Independent Arts News Reporting 2024 Pulitzer Prize-Winning Play Primary Trust Comes to McCarter Theatre
Reported Friday, May 2, 2025.
Pictured Above: DeShawn Harold Mitchell and Shane Taylor in Primary Trust. Photo Credit: Mikki Schaffner.
NEWSROOM POST: PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY
Quietly powerful and brimming with heart, Eboni Booth’s off-Broadway hit begins May 8th
Princeton, NJ – McCarter Theatre Center concludes its 2024–2025 season with Primary Trust, the tender and widely acclaimed play by Eboni Booth, winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Directed by Timothy Douglas, the production runs May 8–25, with Opening Night on May 9 at 7:30 p.m. A co-production with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, this moving new work offers a heartfelt close to the season.
“Primary Trust is brimming with humor and heart,” says McCarter Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen. “In the deft hands of director Timothy Douglas, it’s a not-to-be-missed production. This is the kind of play we need right now—one that reminds us of the human goodness that is possible when we take the time to listen and connect.”
Set in a small upstate New York town, Primary Trust follows Kenneth, a shy 38-year-old bookstore worker whose days are defined by routine and his evenings by Mai Tais with his best friend, Bert. But when Kenneth is suddenly laid off, he’s pushed to confront a world he’s long avoided—with transformative, often heartwarming results.
Written with warmth, wit, and compassion, Primary Trust is a quietly powerful story about starting over, making unexpected connections, and finding the courage to fully step into life. Critics across the country have embraced it as “utterly absorbing, very funny, [a] darn near perfect play” (The Daily Beast), “wonderfully vivid” (The New York Times), and “as tenderhearted as it is spryly comic, and as poignant as it is ultimately uplifting” (Los Angeles Times).
Director Timothy Douglas is the recipient of the Lloyd Richards Director Award from the National Black Theatre Festival and currently serves as an Associate Artist and member of the Board of Trustees at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.
The cast features DeShawn Harold Mitchell (Broadway: All My Sons), Shane Taylor (MFA, Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers), Lilian Oben, and Peter Bisgaier—a Bucks County resident who has appeared on area stages including Pegasus Theatre Company, Passage Theatre, and Bristol Riverside Theatre, to name a few. Understudies include CJ Stewart, Jeff Trainor, and Jalisa Williams.
The creative team includes Tony Cisek (Scenic Design), Trevor Bowen (Costume Design), Peter Maradudin (Lighting Design), and Melanie Chen Cole (Sound Design). Additional members of the team are Stephanie Klapper, CSA (Casting Director), Tatiana Godfrey (Dramaturg), and Martavius Parrish (Associate Director). The production stage manager is Alison Cote, with Alexandria Griner serving as assistant stage manager.
Come early, stay late:
CASTAWAY’s Pop-Up Tropical Bar
Unwind with signature cocktails and island vibes as McCarter’s upper Berlind Lobby transforms into a pop-up tropical bar during the run of Primary Trust. Enjoy sweeping views and relaxed conversation—open 5:30–8 p.m. on Thursdays and 5:30–10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Post-Show Discussions with the Creative Team
Stay after select matinee performances for exclusive conversations with members of the creative team, offering insights into the play’s themes and artistic process.
New Matinee Option!
McCarter is introducing a weekday matinee at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 15—and next season, all five plays in McCarter’s Theater Season will include weekday matinees.
TICKETS
Primary Trust runs May 8 through 25 at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ. Tickets are available at mccarter.org or by calling the box office at 609-258-2787.
