I fell in love with this play the first moment I encountered it. Even now, having seen it many times, it still makes me cry.

Theater has a unique power to reflect the beauty and complexity of human experience, and few plays achieve this as profoundly as Primary Trust by Eboni Booth.

Eboni, a rising voice in the American theater, began her artistic journey as an actor before turning to playwriting. Her work often explores themes of isolation, resilience, and quiet acts of courage, manifesting her interest in the interior lives of ordinary people whose stories often go unnoticed. This gift for empathy and insight has solidified her place among the most exciting contemporary playwrights.

After a critically acclaimed off-Broadway production at New York’s Roundabout Theatre, Primary Trust was awarded the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, with the Pulitzer board praising it as "a poignant meditation on loneliness and the redemptive power of human connection." 

The seemingly simple story centers on Kenneth, a gentle soul living in a generic suburb in upstate New York, where the kindness of others becomes his lifeline. As Kenneth grapples with personal loss and change, we see how simple acts of compassion—even if offered by strangers—can help reframe a person’s entire outlook on life. Primary Trust reminds us that even the smallest acts of human connection can ripple outward in unexpected ways. In our fast-paced, often disconnected world, this message feels more vital than ever.

With this production of Primary Trust, Dallas Theater Center is proud to launch a multi-year partnership with Stage West Theatre in Fort Worth, led by the talented Dana Schultes. This collaboration strengthens our artistic community and expands opportunities for both artists and audiences in North Texas. Co-producing allows us to share our work with more people across two cities while providing greater creative and professional opportunities for local theater-makers. It’s an honor for all of us at DTC to join with our Fort Worth collaborators to explore how this partnership can enrich our shared artistic landscape in the years to come.

I hope that Primary Trust moves you as deeply as it does me. Thank you for joining us tonight. 

I’ll see you in the lobby

DALLAS THEATER CENTER
Kevin Moriarty, Executive Director
Jonathan Norton, Interim Artistic Director

in association with

STAGE WEST
Dana Schultes, Executive Director

PRESENTS

PRIMARY TRUST

By Eboni Booth

WITH

Directed By
Sasha Maya Ada

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 4th, 2023

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

Primary Trust will be performed without an intermission.
Setting: Cranberry, NY, a medium-sized suburb of Rochester; A time before smartphones

+ Member of Diane and Hal Brierley Resident Acting Company.
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

This Theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. Dallas Theater Center is a member of the League of Resident Theaters; a constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the nonprofit professional theater; and Visit Dallas.

The scenic, costume, lighting, sound and projection designers in LORT Theatres are represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE.

Dallas Theater Center’s Production staff is responsible for the sets, costumes, lighting, props, furniture, scenic painting, sound, special effects and wigs in this production.

OFFICIAL VEHICLE OF DALLAS THEATER CENTER