Welcome. This is Everybody by Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins.

Ah! The transitory nature of humankind! What happens at the end of our earthly existence is possibly one of life’s greatest mysteries. I first became acquainted with the play, Everyman, in my second year of college, circa 1982 at The Catholic University of America. We took our theatrical and metaphysical studies very seriously there, and, good or bad, Everyman still reads like a public service announcement for the doctrine of the Church, circa 1500. It is a morality play. And the moral is “Good Deeds is how one enters the kingdom of Heaven.” Period. Full stop.

I ask you, “Can it really be that simple?” 

And if it is that simple, “Why don’t we conduct ourselves fully with that in mind?” 

Enter award-winning playwright, Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins (Appropriate and An Octoroon) penning this contemporary version, Everybody, circa 2017. The timeline is worth noting, as there are no coincidences. His resurrection of this play was like a “responsorial psalm” to the world in which we were living. Now in 2025, these questions of how one lives a life and how one treats a fellow human being have been creeping into our collective moral conscious for what feels like an eternity. Mr. Jacobs-Jenkins helps us examine the potential for our “inhumanity” as well as our “humanity.”

While Everyman instructs us “How we should live our lives,” Everybody questions “What is the meaning of our lives?” “Does how we treat our fellow human beings make a difference?” “What about our planet?” “Is God real?” “Where do we go after death, again?” “Can love really save us?”

It is a metaphysical puzzle for our present-day problems and complexities, with characters that we all recognize and possibly see in ourselves. And it is written with the wit, humor, sensitivity and soul of one of America’s most important twenty-first century playwrights. 

I want to especially thank playwright, Keith Glover, (In Walks Ed and Coming of the Hurricane) for spending an evening with us by Zoom to contemplate some of the major themes of the play. He reminded our young artists to be brave and that words matter; that theater is the most dangerous of the art forms, because it forces us to face down the truth. He encouraged us to fearlessly embrace Brandon’s exploration of this story and its message for our world today. 

Another huge note of gratitude goes to Dr. Matt Niess, the director of our Jazz & Commercial Music program, who, when approached regarding a musical moment for the play, he said “Why don’t we do music for the whole play?” Naturally, I said “yes!” 

Also, thanks to my colleague, Kit Wilder, for coordinating the production elements of the show, guiding our ensemble in the creation and execution of all the scenic and technical aspects of this production. 

So, on behalf of the cast and crew, and the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting program, we hope you are ready for this “journey.” 

– Kirsten Trump, director