Displaying items by tag: The Humanities

Coincidentally (or not), Victory Gardens’ new play about a controversial campus speaker opens just days after the one-year anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Returning from a lengthy hiatus, Victory Gardens once again lights up the Biograph Theater with the world premiere of Zayd Ayers Dohrn’s new play “The Humanities”.

This thrilling play takes place on an American college campus where an opinionated voice is scheduled to speak. At the top level, an intellectual battle brews between professors and the college administration, while the students openly revolt.

Jonas (Ernest Bently) is a new professor on campus, hand selected by the department chair Martin (Steve Pickering) and his professor wife Margot (Naomi Evans). Jonas is young and ambitious, unwilling to get involved in the petty troubles of students and faculty. Martin and Naomi have other ideas. When Martin invites Luka (Daniil Krimer), an ultra-right-wing speaker on campus he kicks off a series of events that could lead the college, and Jonas, to ruin.

Carole (Sabine Wan) straddles the line between education and commerce as the dean while trying to appease the students and queer professor Milta (Isa Arciniegas). On the ground, students Hampton (Derrick Sanders III) and Xander (Piper Murphy) are taking action into their own hands.

Zayd Ayers Dohrn’s script is densely packed, structured in parts much like a college lecture. Each professor has their own somewhat incomprehensible monolog that speaks to how people can say so little with so many words. That’s not to say these passages are empty, and that’s the point. What college student could actually follow these verbal gymnastics though? Perhaps these speeches say more about how some educators are afraid to share their real opinion. Afterall, feelings aren’t facts.

“The Humanities” is a riveting exploration of the cost of free speech. Of course, our first amendment protects it, but it doesn’t account for good taste. Luka is played so smooth and charmingly by Daniil Krimer that you almost forget he’s a neo-Nazi, until he starts his speech. And that’s the unsettling part; under the law he’s just as entitled to hate speech as to tolerance messaging. And that those who criticize him in this play aren’t exactly perfect themselves.

Dohrn paints a rather cynical portrait of higher education, but in other ways he has a lot of faith in youth. Without the radical intentions of Xander and Hampton, there would be no point in rehashing the systematic problems of American academic institutions. In many ways it’s what makes this play so unique.

For those wondering if Victory Gardens has been restored to its former glory under new leadership, “The Humanities” proves they’ve still got it. Edward Torres directs a great cast. While originally billed as starring SNL alum Nora Dunn, British American actress Naomi Evans seems better fit for the role. She has a sleekness about her that makes some of the sexual plotlines a bit more palatable. Steve Pickering embodies that stodgy professor in this era almost as pitifully as Albee’s George was to the 1960s. There’s a certain tragedy in his performance.

While maybe a bit of trimming could help file this play down to a finer point, Victory Gardens choosing Dohrn’s script as their season opener is a brave choice. Almost an admission of self-awareness in an ever-dividing world in which institutions are no longer held on the same pedestals.

Through October 4 at Victory Gardens Theater. 2433 N Lincoln Ave. (773) 871-3000)

Victory Gardens Theater (2433 N. Lincoln Avenue), an historic incubator for new play development, proudly announces the World Premiere staging of The Humanities, a contemporary new work by acclaimed playwright Zayd Ayers Dohrn, directed by veteran Chicago talent Eddie Torres. The Humanities is a provocative, ripped-from-the-headlines story that explores the events after a controversial speaker is invited to lecture at an elite American university. Performances of The Humanities begin Thursday, September 10, and continue through Sunday, October 4, 2026; the official Opening is Sunday, September 13, at 6 p.m.

The all-Chicago cast of The Humanities includes Ernest Bentley, Steve Pickering, Isa Arciniegas, Naomi Evans, Daniil Krimer, Devaughn Asante Loman, Piper Murphy, Derrick Sanders III, and Sabine Wan with understudies Alexander Chance, Avery-Slade Fountain, and Clara Imon Pedtke, while the creative team includes Edward D. Richardson (Stage Management), Jayce Lewis (Assistant Stage Management), David Woolley (Fight Choreography), Julie Granata-Hunicutt (Intimacy Direction), Maren Rosenberg (Production Management), Brian Sydney Bembridge (Lighting/Scenic Design), Myron Elliott (Costume Design), and Johnny Johnathan (Sound/Production Design).

"I wrote The Humanities years ago, thinking about the forces that seemed to be tearing America apart and leaving the country vulnerable to an authoritarian takeover," said Ayers Dohrn. "If anything, the themes of the play – identity, race, protests on college campuses, and political violence – have only become more relevant, and this feels like the perfect moment to premiere a new play about the impulses that divide us and about our collective search for a more perfect union."

"For over 50 years, Victory Gardens Theater has nurtured and produced relevant, new work that reflects the diverse stories of the community and contributes to the vitality of American theater.  Hiring an all-Chicago cast to perform The Humanities further reinforces Victory Gardens' commitment to investing in the city's exceptional artistic talent and elevating Chicago voices," added Torres, also Victory Gardens Interim Artistic Director.

Zayd Ayers Dohrn is the author of the acclaimed national bestselling memoir Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young and creator of the hit podcast Mother Country Radicals. His plays include Revolution(s) (the Goodman), The Profane (Playwrights Horizons), Outside People (The Vineyard), and Reborning (The Public/SPF). Ayers Dohrn is the Daniel Hale Williams Professor and Director of the MFA in Writing for Screen + Stage at Northwestern University. The Humanities was developed by Ayers Dohrn during a residency at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference in 2019, under Preston Whiteway, Executive Director, and Wendy C. Goldberg, Artistic Director, and in partnership with the Goodman Theatre, Chicago, in the 2019 New Stages Festival, under Robert Falls, Artistic Director, and Roche Schulfer, Executive Director. 

Eddie Torres is an acclaimed director & performer. He has won five Jeff Awards, notably for Best Director for the premiere of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, a Latin ACE Award, and an ATI Award. He is a professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, the Artistic Director Emeritus of Teatro Vista Productions, and is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

Performance schedule & ticket pricing

The Humanities will be performed in a limited engagement Thursday, September 10, through Sunday, October 4, 2026, with its official Opening on Sunday, September 13, at 6 p.m. Performances take place on Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.; and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. (with the exception of September 13). Please note, this work contains mature themes including sexual content, strong language, and partial nudity, and is not suitable for children under 17 without parental guidance. Tickets, which start at $55, are now on sale by visiting eventbrite.com. Use promo code PREVIEW to receive 25% off all Adult and Senior tickets for performances on September 10, 11, and 12. For information about group rates and discounted ticket packages, please contact the Victory Gardens Theater Box Office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

About Victory Gardens Theater

Victory Gardens Theater serves as a sanctuary for fearless artistic exchange, producing new work that ignites the imagination and challenges the mind. Since its founding in 1974, the nonprofit theater company Victory Gardens Theater has produced more world and Chicago premieres, worked with more living playwrights, and exported more new plays for production elsewhere than any other theater in the region. Victory Gardens Theater strives to be a national leader in bringing stories to the stage that ignite social change and strengthen community, creating a more just and compassionate world. Victory Gardens Theater is currently under the direction of Interim Executive Director Archana Vaidya and Interim Artistic Director Eddie Torres. For more information, please visit victorygardens.org.

Victory Gardens Theater (2433 N. Lincoln Avenue), an historic incubator for new play development, proudly announces the World Premiere staging of The Humanities, a contemporary new work by acclaimed playwright Zayd Ayers Dohrn, directed by veteran Chicago talent Eddie Torres. The Humanities is a provocative, ripped-from-the-headlines story that explores the events after a controversial speaker is invited to lecture at an elite American university. Performances of The Humanities begin Thursday, September 10, and continue through Sunday, October 4, 2026; the official Opening is Sunday, September 13, at 6 p.m.

The all-Chicago cast of The Humanities includes Nora Dunn, Al’Jaleel McGhee, Steve Pickering, Isa Arciniegas, Daniil Krimer, Devaughn Asante Loman, Piper Murphy, William Anthony Sebastia Rose II, and Sabine Wan with understudies Alexander Chance, Naomi Evans, Avery-Slade Fountain, and Clara Imon Pedtke, while the creative team includes Edward D. Richardson (Stage Management), Jayce Lewis (Assistant Stage Management), David Woolley (Fight Choreography), Julie Granata-Hunicutt (Intimacy Direction), Maren Rosenberg (Production Management), Brian Sydney Bembridge (Lighting/Scenic Design), Myron Elliott (Costume Design), and Johnny Johnathan (Sound/Production Design).

“I wrote The Humanities years ago, thinking about the forces that seemed to be tearing America apart and leaving the country vulnerable to an authoritarian takeover,” said Ayers Dohrn. “If anything, the themes of the play – identity, race, protests on college campuses, and political violence – have only become more relevant, and this feels like the perfect moment to premiere a new play about the impulses that divide us and about our collective search for a more perfect union.”

“For over 50 years, Victory Gardens Theater has nurtured and produced relevant, new work that reflects the diverse stories of the community and contributes to the vitality of American theater.  Hiring an all-Chicago cast to perform The Humanities further reinforces Victory Gardens’ commitment to investing in the city’s exceptional artistic talent and elevating Chicago voices,” added Torres, also Victory Gardens Interim Artistic Director.

Zayd Ayers Dohrn is the author of the acclaimed national bestselling memoir Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young and creator of the hit podcast Mother Country Radicals. His plays include Revolution(s) (the Goodman), The Profane (Playwrights Horizons), Outside People (The Vineyard), and Reborning (The Public/SPF). Ayers Dohrn is the Daniel Hale Williams Professor and Director of the MFA in Writing for Screen + Stage at Northwestern University. The Humanities was developed by Ayers Dohrn during a residency at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference in 2019, under Preston Whiteway, Executive Director, and Wendy C. Goldberg, Artistic Director, and in partnership with the Goodman Theatre, Chicago, in the 2019 New Stages Festival, under Robert Falls, Artistic Director, and Roche Schulfer, Executive Director. 

Eddie Torres is an acclaimed director & performer. He has won five Jeff Awards, notably for Best Director for the premiere of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, a Latin ACE Award, and an ATI Award. He is a professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, the Artistic Director Emeritus of Teatro Vista Productions, and is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

Performance schedule & ticket pricing

The Humanities will be performed in a limited engagement Thursday, September 10, through Sunday, October 4, 2026, with its official Opening on Sunday, September 13, at 6 p.m. Performances take place on Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.; and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. (with the exception of September 13). Please note, this work contains mature themes including sexual content, strong language, and partial nudity, and is not suitable for children under 17 without parental guidance. Tickets, which start at $55, are now on sale by visiting eventbrite.com. Use promo code PREVIEW to receive 25% off all Adult and Senior tickets for performances on September 10, 11, and 12. For information about group rates and discounted ticket packages, please contact the Victory Gardens Theater Box Office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

About Victory Gardens Theater

Victory Gardens Theater serves as a sanctuary for fearless artistic exchange, producing new work that ignites the imagination and challenges the mind. Since its founding in 1974, the nonprofit theater company Victory Gardens Theater has produced more world and Chicago premieres, worked with more living playwrights, and exported more new plays for production elsewhere than any other theater in the region. Victory Gardens Theater strives to be a national leader in bringing stories to the stage that ignite social change and strengthen community, creating a more just and compassionate world. Victory Gardens Theater is currently under the direction of Interim Executive Director Archana Vaidya and Interim Artistic Director Eddie Torres. For more information, please visit victorygardens.org.