See 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 "shock with love, joy, & kindness" now at T2

TheatreSquared kicks off 2025 with Eboni Booth’s surprising, touching comedy Primary Trust on the Spring Theatre stage. Opening January 22 at TheatreSquared (477 W. Spring St., Fayetteville), the show will run through February 23 with 7:30 pm performances Tuesday through Saturday and 2:00 pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets, from $20-$58, can be purchased by calling (479) 777-7477 or by visiting theatre2.org/primary-trust.

A story about second chances, the importance of small acts of kindness, and finding your place in the world, Primary Trust premiered Off-Broadway in 2023 to great acclaim, and was subsequently awarded the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

BRANDON ALVIÓN (Kenneth,) TONI L MARTIN (Corrina,) RYAN VINCENT ANDERSON (Bert) | Photo Credit Wesley Hitt

Primary Trust follows mild-mannered Kenneth, a 36-year-old, set-in-his-ways bookstore worker, who spends most evenings sipping Mai Tais with his (imaginary) best friend at the local tiki bar. When he’s suddenly laid off, his world turns upside down—in more ways than one.

The New York Times, which selected the play as a Critic’s Pick, describes this “tender, delicately detailed portrait” of a slowly drowning man “a wake up call, and not just for the man who’s been living in a daze.” Playwright Eboni Booth, a writer and actor from New York, says that Primary Trust is a story about alienation and loneliness, but also about the possibility of connection.

“I think it was my way of trying to understand some of my sadness and some of my hope,” Booth said in an interview with The New York Times.

Director vickie washington returns to T2 for the production. washington most recently directed the world premiere of Joseph Scott Ford’s Responders, and has helmed some of T2’s most popular shows, including The Mountaintop and School Girls; Or the African Mean Girls Play.

“The beauty of the writing, the fullness of the characters, a story both achingly sweet, and full-on funny,” says washington when asked what inspired her about Booth’s play. “Coming into the world of Kenneth (the main character) and watching him navigate some monumental transitions in his life…these all attracted me to Primary Trust. It is such a fully human play.”

The cast includes Brandon Alvión as Kenneth; Ryan Vincent Anderson as Bert; Toni L Martin as Corrina; and Mark Ulrich as Clay.

“With Primary Trust, Eboni Booth crafts a world that’s funny, fragile, and full of hope, where even the smallest actions can lead to profound change,” notes T2 Executive Director Shannon A. Jones. “As we begin a new year—a time of reflection and fresh starts—its themes of connection, resilience, and support feel especially timely in a world that often feels disconnected.”

“I think that now is both a perfect and a necessary time for this production,” agrees washington. “As a result of Covid (and other ‘unpleasantness’), there is an isolation, a loneliness, a distance, an emptiness that far too many folk are either experiencing, or know family, co-workers, etc. who are experiencing. Primary Trust reminds us that we are created to be in relationship with other folk, and that there is beauty in connection.”

About TheatreSquared
 

TheatreSquared’s signature offering of bold new plays in an intimate setting at 477 W. Spring St in downtown Fayetteville, AR has driven its growth to become the state’s largest theater, offering more than 350 performances annually in an intimate setting. The playwright-led company is one of mid-America’s leading laboratories for new work, having launched more than 70 new plays. Offering far-reaching access and education programs and an open-all-day gathering space, the Commons Bar/Café, TheatreSquared remains rooted in its founding vision, that "theater—done well and with passion—can transform lives and communities."

 

Major funding for the TheatreSquared Season 19 is provided by the Walton Family Foundation; the Walmart Foundation; the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation; the Windgate Foundation; the Shubert Foundation; the Tyson Family Foundation; the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage; the National Endowment for the Arts; Bob and Becky Alexander; Jane Hunt; Barbara Shadden; Todd Simmons and Melissa Hall Simmons; Simmons Foods; and the McGaugh Family Fund.

 

Marketing support for TheatreSquared Season 19 is provided by Arkansas PBS, Experience Fayetteville, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Fayetteville Flyer, 3W Magazine, CitiScapes, KUAF, 5NEWS, MailCo USA, iHeart Radio, NWA Daily, ROARK, and Fayetteville City Lifestyle.