OKLAHOMA CITY REPERTORY THEATER
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
OKLAHOMA CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER
PRESENTS
LIFE SUCKS.
By AARON POSNER
Directed by BENITA DE WIT**
October 9-19, 2025
Te Ata Theater at Oklahoma Contemporary
FEATURING
CECILIA ALALI* | JEFFREY AMBROSINI* | SCOTT GUTHRIE*
AHMAD KAMAL* | ASHLEY J. MANDANAS* | KAREN SABO* | KAYLENE SNARSKY*
CREATIVE TEAM
Set Designer: ROBIN VEST^
Costume Designer: JEANNETTE CHRISTENSEN^
Lighting Designer: ANNALISE V. CAUDLE^
Sound Designer: KATHY RUVUNA^
Props Manager: BRITTANY ATKINS
Stage Manager: JENNA ROWELL*
Production Manager: DAVID PILCHMAN
Assistant Director: ALEXANDRIA YOLIE
LIFE SUCKS. IS SPONSORED, IN PART, BY
ROBINSON PARK AND VISIT OKC.
First produced by Theatre J at the Aaron and Cecile Goldman Theater in Washington, D.C.
“Life Sucks.” is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service imprint. (www.dramatists.com)
**
The Director is a Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.
*Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre, Oklahoma City Repertory Theater, and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
^United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the IATSE is the union representing Scenic, Costume, Lighting, Sound and Projection Designers in Live Performance.
Welcome to OKC Rep’s 2025-26 Season! To me, the theater is a place to be together; a place to gather, share ideas, feel, learn, and make friends. This year, we’re offering OKC more, new ways to do all those things, and I can’t wait to share them all with you.
But first, LIFE SUCKS.! Or does it? I know I certainly feel that way sometimes. Life is full of pain, fear, and loss. But then there are those moments that are full of possibility: the sunset over Oklahoma City, the beat of a really good song, the second the theater lights go down at the beginning of a play. Playwright Aaron Posner does a masterful job of asking what it means to live in a world where all of these things co-exist. What do you think it means? Have a think on it, and enjoy the show!
Emily Comisar, Executive Artistic Director
Welcome, and thank you for joining us at LIFE SUCKS.
Aaron Posner's adaptation of UNCLE VANYA debuted in 2018 and remains strikingly relevant today. This is a play about different people, with contradictory wants and worldviews, all stuck together under one roof.
LIFE SUCKS. asks: What do we flawed human beings do in the face of disappointment? Is it best to respond with complete despair or blind optimism, selfishness or self-destruction? What paths do we choose when things don’t end up the way we wanted them to?
A community may be dysfunctional, but still capable of doing good. This is a story about sitting in the mess together and figuring out a way forward. We're grateful you've chosen to spend these hours with us. We hope you find something that speaks to you in LIFE SUCKS.
Benita de Wit, Director
The team at OKC Rep and LIFE SUCKS. wish to thank (in no particular order):
Ben Hall, OCU, 3rd Act Theatre Company, Commonplace Bookstore (Sarah Carr), Titan AVL, CNS, Anna Cox, Adam Atkins, Amanda Shnake, Tait Truong, Why HR (AJ McGee), DayClub Midtown, Van Storm, Paige Powell
