Primary Trust

In This Program

• From the Artistic Director
• About the Show
• For Our Patrons
• Cast
• Creative Team
• An Interview with Director Kaytlin McIntyre
• An Interview with Playwright Eboni Booth (Excerpt)
• Print Edition
• More About Seattle Rep

Dear Friends,

Welcome to Seattle Rep! We’re excited to share with you our locally made production of Eboni Booth’s Primary Trust. Winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, this offbeat new comedy about a young man with an imaginary friend is quickly becoming one of the most popular plays to emerge in recent years. Why? Aside from Booth’s finely crafted characters, intriguing premise, and theatrical flair, Primary Trust offers something we all need right now: an uncynical and open-hearted worldview during an especially anxious and divisive time. Each performance serves as an act of group empathy, as we all pull together in support of the play’s protagonist, Kenneth, as he navigates unexpected change. 

Producing new plays is always riskier for a theater than presenting work already familiar to audiences, so choosing Primary Trust for this season—more than a year ago, before the Pulitzer nod—was a leap of faith. But Seattle Rep is committed to bringing audiences the best in new work. Whether we’re producing a world premiere bound for productions elsewhere (like this spring’s Mother Russia by Lauren Yee), or (as with Primary Trust) a play that first makes its mark in other national theater hubs before being reinterpreted by local artists here in our community, it’s our goal to feature exciting new plays alongside first-rate productions of enduring classics. 

As a not-for-profit theater, Seattle Rep’s mission and artistic vitality require strong support from our entire community. This fall, we have launched the Artistic Investment Fund to ensure we can continue to take risks and prioritize ambitious artistic choices each season that energize audiences and turn our productions into can’t-miss experiences. Contributions to this fund also empower us to employ even more local artists whose time and expertise contribute to one-of-a-kind #BuiltBySeattleRep productions. 

One way you’ll experience this investment on stage today is through the addition of a live musician instead of recorded music to accompany this show. We’ve engaged renowned local writer/composer/performer Justin Huertas (Lizard Boy, Lydia and the Troll) to add his indelible touch to Primary Trust.  

Live music by a Seattle icon is just one of many thrilling artistic choices made by director Kaytlin McIntyre, whose name may be familiar to Seattle Rep and Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) fans. Prior to joining OSF as Director of Repertory Producing earlier this year, Kaytlin was a member of Seattle Rep’s artistic staff for over a decade. She championed and produced most of our new play development in recent years, and helped curate the past several seasons. Primary Trust marks Kaytlin’s Seattle Rep directorial debut, and I know she has crafted a show that will leave you feeling moved and excited to return to Seattle Rep again soon. 

In that spirit, I hope you’ll look ahead with me to the holiday season and make plans with friends and family to return for two laughter-filled nights of theater. Don’t miss our Seattle Rep-built production of Noël Coward’s iconic comedy Blithe Spirit on the Bagley Wright stage and the iconoclastic comedy troupe The Second City’s The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Sweater coming right here to the Leo K. Theater. 

Until next time,

Dámaso Rodríguez
Artistic Director

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Dámaso Rodríguez   |   MANAGING DIRECTOR Jeffrey Herrmann

By
Eboni Booth

Directed by
Kaytlin McIntyre

* Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

‡ Represented by the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) of the United States and Canada, Local 76-493, AFL-CIO/CLC.

Primary Trust was developed at the 2021 Ojai Playwrights Conference: Robert Egan, Artistic Director/Producer

Developed by Victory Gardens Theater – Chicago, Illinois Ken-Matt Martin, Artistic Director | Roxanna Conner, Acting Managing Director as part of IGNITE CHICAGO Festival of New Plays 2021

Originally Produced in New York City by Roundabout Theatre Company
At the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre / Laura Pels Theatre on May 4, 2023

Primary Trust is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

Producing Partner

Darrel Cowan 

Associate Sponsors

Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management
Summit Law Group

Season Sponsor

October 24 – November 24, 2024 | Leo K. Theater

We welcome you to take pictures of the set before and after the show.

Share Your Photos 

#PrimaryTrustSREP
@seattlerep

Photography, recording, and use of cell phones are strictly prohibited during the performance. 

Mission 

Seattle Rep collaborates with extraordinary artists to create productions and programs that reflect and elevate the diverse cultures, perspectives, and life experiences of our region. 

Vision 

Theater at the heart of public life.  

Values 

Artistic Vitality
Sustainability
Generous and Inclusive Practices 

Code of Conduct 

Seattle Rep is committed to being a racially, culturally, and socially just organization. We promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of the work we do, and uphold a safe environment wherein all people are welcome to our space and are treated with respect and dignity.

It is our expectation that all patrons and those affiliated with Seattle Rep will align with this code of conduct and we reserve the right to relocate or remove any person from our theater who disregards this expectation.

Land Acknowledgment 

Seattle Rep acknowledges that we are on the traditional land of the Coast Salish people. We honor with gratitude the land itself and its innumerable stewards, past and present. We recognize Washington’s tribal nations, all of the Tribal signatories of the Treaty of Point Elliott, and the urban Native communities who continue to live and thrive in this space. This acknowledgment does not take the place of authentic relationships with Indigenous communities, but serves as a first step in honoring the land we are on and the people and cultures it has nurtured.

Learn more about how Seattle Rep is working to support and build relationships with Native communities.

Emergencies 

In an evacuation, wait for an announcement for further instructions. Ushers will be available for assistance. Familiarize yourself with the exit route nearest your seat.   

Accessibility 

Seattle Rep is committed to accessibility for all and will work with patrons to accommodate requests. We offer a variety of options to help make our performances accessible.

ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES: We offer select English and Spanish Open Captioned, Audio Described, ASL-Interpreted, Sensory-Friendly, and mask-required  performances. Find dates here or contact the Box Services Office for more information.

HEARING LOOP: Seattle Rep is equipped with hearing loops that transmit sound directly to t-coil enabled hearing devices. There are also receivers and headphones available to borrow at Coat Check. Look for the Hearing Loop signs which indicate coverage at performances, ticket windows, concierge, and concessions.  

WHEELCHAIR SPACES, WIDER SEATS (BAGLEY), TRANSFER SEATS, AND ADDITIONAL SEATING OPTIONS: Please see an Usher or House Manager to see what accessible seating options are available for your performance.  

SENSORY GUIDES & KITS: Scene-by-scene guides of the sensory impact of this show and kits containing headphones, fidgets, sunglasses, and communication cards are available at Coat Check.  

LARGE PRINT & BRAILLE PROGRAMS: Available at Coat Check. 

ALL GENDER RESTROOMS are located on the second floor of the Leo K. Theater and a single-stall restroom is located near the Bagley Wright Theater restrooms on the first floor.  

WELLNESS ROOM is located near the Bagley Wright Theater restrooms on the first floor.  

Contact Us 

BOX OFFICE 
Call 206.443.2222
Text 206.565.2996 

ADMINISTRATIVE
206.443.2210 

ADDRESS 
155 Mercer St.
Seattle, WA 98109 

Allyson Lee Brown

Corrina/Waiters/Bank Customers 

New Orleans native and award-winning actor Allyson Lee Brown received her M.F.A. in Acting from the University of Washington School of Drama and is a proud graduate of Spelman College. Her credits include Beauty and the Beast; the Gregory Award-winning Citizen: An American Lyric; her solo show SBW 365: The Myth and the Mule; “Guilty Party” starring Kate Beckinsale; and “Matlock” starring Kathy Bates. Allyson also enjoys mentoring, teaching, and encouraging youth to tap into their creative freedom through arts accessibility. She is excited to make her Seattle Rep debut with Primary Trust!

Rob Burgess

Sam/Clay

Northwest born and bred, Rob is delighted to be sharing the stage with this wonderful group of artists! A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, his work has been seen (and heard) in numerous productions spanning four decades in the Seattle area. For Seattle Rep: Sherlock Holmes and The American Problem, The Hound of the Baskervilles. Rob is married to Seattle-based costume designer Melanie Taylor Burgess. They are both honored to be part of this grand, creative community.

Andrew Lee Creech

Bert

Andrew (he/him) is an award-winning playwright, actor, and content creator currently based in Seattle. Having last been seen in A Raisin in the Sun (2016), he’s excited to be back at Seattle Rep, working on this incredible play. Recent stage credits: Romeo and Juliet (Seattle Shakespeare Company), Pipeline (Seattle Public Theater). His plays include Last Drive to Dodge (Taproot Theatre Company, 2023), Riverwood (Seattle Public Theater/LANGSTON, 2022), and the upcoming world premiere of Golden (ACT Theatre, 2025). @papadontcreech

Justin Huertas

Musician

Justin Huertas (he/him) is an award-winning playwright, composer, lyricist, and actor best known for his original musical Lizard Boy, which first premiered at Seattle Rep and recently ran Off-Broadway with Prospect Musicals (3 Drama Desk Nominations). A 2021 Jonathan Larson Grant Finalist, his other works include The Mortification of Fovea Munson, based on the novel by Mary Winn Heider (The Kennedy Center); Lydia and the Troll, co-created and directed by Ameenah Kaplan (Seattle Rep); and We’ve Battled Monsters Before with Rheanna Atendido (ArtsWest, The Green Room 42). @justinhuertas

Stephen Tyrone Williams

Kenneth

Stephen Tyrone Williams is thrilled to return for his third production at Seattle Rep! Select credits include Broadway: Lucky Guy (Broadhurst) and Jitney (Manhattan Theatre Club); Off-Broadway: Harper Regan (Atlantic Theater Company) and My Children! My Africa! (Signature Theatre Company); Regional: McCarter Theatre and Geffen Playhouse; and Film/TV: CBS’ “Elementary” and Spike Lee’s Da Sweet Blood of Jesus. He holds a B.A. from the University of Alabama. He is a recognized actor/combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors. youtube.com/@steevuhn18

Eboni Booth

Playwright

Plays include Primary Trust (Roundabout Theatre, Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Outer Circle Critics Award) and Paris (Atlantic Theater Company). TV Writing: Hulu’s “We Were the Lucky Ones” and HBO Max’s “Julia.” As an actor, Eboni has appeared at Playwrights Horizons, LCT3, Manhattan Theatre Club, Ars Nova, WP Theater, Page 73, Soho Rep, Clubbed Thumb, and more. Current Judith Champion Playwriting Fellow at Manhattan Theatre Club and resident playwright at New Dramatists. Awards: Dramatists Guild Horton Foote, Steinberg, and Helen Merrill Award for Playwriting. Education: Juilliard and the University of Vermont.

Kaytlin McIntyre

Director

Kaytlin McIntyre (she/her) recently joined the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as the Director of Repertory Producing after serving in the artistic department at Seattle Rep for over ten years. Kaytlin’s directing work has been seen at Seattle Rep, Intiman, Strawberry Theatre Workshop, The Playwrights Realm, Sound Theatre Company, and Annex Theatre. She is an alumna of the Lincoln Center Director's Lab and has a B.A. in Directing from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University. kaytlinmcintyre.com

An-lin Dauber

Scenic Designer

An-lin Dauber (she/her) is thrilled to be back at Seattle Rep where she previously designed Little Women, The Tempest, and Metamorphoses. Seattle credits include The Lehman Trilogy (ACT); The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, Champagne + Sodomy, Amen Corner, Marisol, Blood Wedding (The Feast). Company member of The Feast. Upcoming: Stupidest Scariest Time (Swim Pony at 12th Ave Arts), El Mentiroso and His Cyclops (Arts on Site). Assistant Professor of Costume Design at the University of Washington. M.F.A. Yale School of Drama. anlindauber.com

Tina McCartney 

Costume Designer

Tina McCartney is a Trinidadian American costume designer working in theater, TV, and film based in New York City. Tina’s theatrical designs include Bruce (Seattle Rep), The Griswolds’ Broadway Vacation (The 5th Avenue Theatre), That Parenting Musical (Theatre Row), Empire (New World Stages), Las Borinqueñas (Ensemble Studio Theatre), Summer Stock (Goodspeed Musicals), Pru Payne (Arizona Theatre Company), and Joy (George Street Playhouse). tinamccartney.com

serena wong 

Lighting Designer

serena wong (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based freelance lighting designer for theater and dance. She is thrilled to be making a return to Seattle Rep where she was an Apprentice. Her designs have been seen at Lincoln Center, The Joyce Theater, and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, among others in the U.S. and abroad—including, oddly enough, a Celebrity cruise ship. Most recently she has designed for choreographers LaTasha Barnes, Gemma Bond, Caleb Teicher, Leonardo Sandoval, and Bill T. Jones. She enjoys biking, baking, and pottery.

Fan Zhang

Composer & Sound Designer

Recent Off-Broadway: Good Bones, Jordans (The Public Theater); The Far Country, Paris (Atlantic Theater Company); At the Wedding (Lincoln Center); This Land Was Made (Vineyard Theatre); Snow in Midsummer (Classic Stage); On That Day in Amsterdam (59E59); Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (Second Stage Theater); Suicide Forest (Ma-Yi Theater Company); Behind the Sheet (Ensemble Studio Theatre). Select regional: Arena Stage, Steppenwolf, American Repertory Theater, Portland Center Stage, Yale Repertory Theatre, The Old Globe. Professor at Purdue University. M.F.A. Yale School of Drama. fanzhangsound.com  

Dedra D. Woods 

Associate Director

Dedra D. Woods is a multi-disciplinary artist and creative force of nature. She is a proud Detroit native and thrilled to be a part of the Primary Trust creative team. She was last seen at Seattle Rep in Fat Ham. Dedra is passionate about bringing Black stories to life on stage. She has performed with several companies including The 5th Avenue Theatre, The Feast, ACT, Seattle Public Theater, Taproot Theatre Company, Intiman, and Pittsburgh Public Theater. When not on stage, Dedra has worked as a producer, arts administrator, and casting director. Love to A&M for their continued support.

Paul Adolphsen

Dramaturg

Paul Adolphsen (he/him) is a Seattle-based dramaturg, writer, and literary manager. He has been on the artistic staff at Seattle Rep, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Asolo Repertory Theatre. Paul has also worked as a dramaturg with Arena Stage, Hartford Stage, Ashland New Plays Festival, and with other companies around the U.S. He was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of the Western Cape (South Africa) and his writing about theater and performance has been published in Theatre Journal, on howlround.com, and by Penumbra Theatre Company. M.F.A.: University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Jess K Smith

Intimacy

Jess K Smith is a freelance director, intimacy director (Pacific Northwest Theatrical Intimacy), Co-Creative Producer of ART PARTY residencies, and Chair and Associate Professor of Theatre Arts (University of Puget Sound). She loves creating imaginative interplay between heightened physicality and naturalistic scene work, whether through adaptations, interdisciplinary collaborations, new plays, or classic texts. Her work has been featured on stages in New York, Seattle, Portland, Anchorage, Prague, and Cape Town. M.F.A. in Directing at Columbia University under Anne Bogart. jessksmith.com

Melissa Y. Hamasaki

Stage Manager

One of Melissa’s earliest theater-going memories is seeing the 1995 Seattle Rep production of Scapin. In the intervening 30 years, she has stage managed throughout the country and is delighted to join the company of Primary Trust. Favorite productions include The Ramayana, The Women (ACT); The Tales of Hoffman, Carmen (Seattle Opera); Memphis (The 5th Avenue Theatre). She is a proud union member of AEA. Training: Allen Lee Hughes Stage Management Fellow (Arena Stage); Technical Apprentice (Santa Fe Opera). Many thanks to Kim Vacchiery and family for all the early theater exposure!

Katja Zarolinski, CSA

Out-of-Town Casting

Katja Zarolinski, CSA is a New York-based casting director handling productions for theater, film, and television. Previous casting work includes Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theaters including Alley Theatre, Arena Stage, Baltimore Center Stage, Barrington Stage Company, Contemporary American Theater Festival, Guthrie Theater, Irish Repertory Theatre, KCRep, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, People’s Light, Pittsburgh CLO, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Signature Theatre, Studio Theatre, Theaterworks Hartford, and many more.

Special Thanks

The Book Mongers, Gin Hammond, Theatre Puget Sound

A Comedy About Loneliness

Beyond the Stage

We sat down with director Kaytlin McIntyre to talk about all things Primary Trust. 

Seattle Rep: Primary Trust is on its way to becoming one of the most popular plays of the year at regional theaters across the country. Why do you think the play and its themes resonate so deeply with audiences right now? 

Kaytlin McIntyre: Primary Trust is about a man who must face his fears and embrace change, even when the future seems uncertain. While Eboni Booth started writing this play before COVID, it touches on so many emotions that we recognize from a global pandemic—isolation, anxiety, and the coping mechanisms we develop to just get through the day. So, I think audiences connect with it because it feels recognizable and deals with big, complicated themes but in a subtle, surprising, and humorous way. I often describe it as a “comedy about loneliness.” 

SR: As the former lead of Seattle Rep’s new works program, you had a lot of scripts come across your desk. What made playwright Eboni Booth's work stand out to you? 

KM: If a stack of plays includes a work by Eboni Booth, I always prioritize reading it because I know I will find something to love. Eboni lifts the stories of mundane spaces: grocery stores, tiki bars, banks. She writes about small towns and unseen people and, in doing so, she exposes surprising and profound truths living right under our noses. There is a quietness and restraint to Eboni's work that I find very compelling. She trusts the artists and, ultimately, the audience to fill in the gaps and gives them space to draw their own conclusions about the characters and story. Eboni is also an actor, and you can feel that in the richness and playfulness of her characters—she writes roles you want to sink your teeth into. 

SR: You are an alumna of Seattle Rep’s Winky Hussey Professional Arts Training Program as a Directing Intern and eventually took on the post of Seattle Rep Artistic Producer before your current role as Director of Repertory Producing at Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF). What advice would you give to young and emerging directors that want to make a life in theater? 

KM: Don’t wait for someone to give you permission to do your work! Find a space, whether that’s a living room or a park or a traditional theater space, and make the art happen yourself. Start cultivating your collaborators now and you’ll be amazed at what other hungry artists are willing to create with you in their spare time. I’m not saying it’s easy, but it gives you agency over your career and art instead of placing the control in the hands of someone else. 

SR: What do you hope audiences take away from this show? 

KM: Again, I think the beauty of Eboni’s writing is that she leaves the audience space to have different takeaways and experiences. One audience member may feel the need to call their mom, another may crave a Mai Tai. Both of those are great. My personal wish is that audiences will walk away feeling less alone and more eager to extend compassion towards the outsiders in their own communities. 

SR: Anything else you’d like the audience to know? 

KM: I like to think of Primary Trust as psychological magical realism. It adheres to an emotional logic more than it adheres to rational logic. What feels real is real. Just go with it! 

An Interview with Playwright Eboni Booth

An Excerpt

Roundabout Theatre Company teaching artist Leah Reddy spoke with playwright Eboni Booth about her work on Primary Trust.

Leah Reddy: What was your inspiration for Primary Trust? 

Eboni Booth: I worked in bars and restaurants for a really long time as I pursued acting, and I sometimes found it hard to manage my relationship to alcohol. When I was in my 20s, it was very thrilling—shots and making cash every night and feeling like anything was possible after the right number of cocktails. But as I aged, I found that a certain kind of drinking called up my demons in an uncomfortable way. I wasn’t the type to grow a whole new personality when I drank, but I was definitely flooded by my past and my fears for the future in a way that frightened me.  

I also saw a lot of regulars as a bartender. I worked at places where we had some people who came in every night of the week, every day of the year. I had a curiosity about their lives. I think I’m drawn to stories of loneliness and people who are trying to do battle, however quietly, with the feeling of being isolated. So it wasn’t conscious, but I think writing Primary Trust was my way to better understand moments in my life where I felt very alone and very sad and often very drunk. Times when I wanted to connect with people but wasn't completely sure how to go about it. 

Header image: Eboni Booth. Photo by Lauren Crothers.

Print Edition

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