“This is what happened.”
According to director Kyle Haden, that’s the first line spoken by main character Kenneth in Eboni Booth’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Primary Trust.” In the 90 or so minutes that follow, Pittsburgh Public Theater audiences will get to find out exactly what happened from their seats at the O’Reilly Theater in Downtown Pittsburgh.
“Primary Trust” is a compact production of four actors that will open up a new world for theatergoers. The play premiered off-Broadway in 2023 and won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It’s been produced by numerous theater companies around the United States since then and will land in Pittsburgh with opening night on Saturday.
“The play is really sincere and earnest in a way that I don’t think we see a lot,” said Haden, who is directing PPT’s production and also played supporting character Bert in the play in 2024 at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, Mass.
The play follows the somewhat isolated bookshop worker Kenneth through his routine-ruled life, from work to the tiki bar where he spends his evenings. After his bookshop’s owner closes down and Kenneth is forced to find a new job, his world opens up.
“It’s about a man named Kenneth who is 38 and who is learning to try something new is his life,” said actor Monteze Freeland, who portrays Kenneth in PPT’s production. “He goes from being forced to try something new to then accepting the change in his life and finding community.”
In addition to Freeland, the cast is comprised of Malic Maat, who plays his friend Bert (who is quickly revealed to be imaginary); as well as Bria Walker-Rhoze and Sam Turich, who both portray multiple characters. The group of experienced actors have created something special with this production, Freeland said.
“To be part of a close-knit ensemble such as this is true joy,” he said. “I’ve known all of these people for the majority of my professional career and this is the first time we’ve all worked together. … It’s true joy to come to work with people you love and you respect.”
Haden is also impressed with the team behind “Primary Trust.”
“It’s been awesome, in part because the cast is so incredible. Between them and the design team, I’m just like a traffic cop just sort of, you know, trying to make sure everything’s clear. … The artisans at Pittsburgh Public are first-rate and are doing such a wonderful job of executing the designs,” he said.
Freeland was such a big fan of the play that when he was working at City Theatre as co-artistic director, he wanted to bring the production to the company’s South Side stage and direct it.
“And then, through various conversations, the show eventually went to the Public. And then Kyle reached out said ‘hey, what about working on this project together?’ And I was like, ‘yeah, I think that could work, too.’ ”
While he currently serves as artistic director for Alumni Theater Company, Freeland spent the first two decades of his career in Pittsburgh as an actor. But he hasn’t been onstage in about four years.
“Sometimes you can manifest certain things or you’re not sure you want to be a part of something, but you aren’t always sure as to where your role is,” he said. “And somehow the universe makes it work out.”
He said that he connects on several levels with the lovable oddball he plays onstage.
“He’s a Black man, 38 years old, and I’m a Black man, 39 years old. He adores and loves his mother. He really values friendship. … He likes a routine, I love a routine. I’m sure my friends and my mother would say it’s been hard to sometimes pull me out of routine in life, but I’m slowly doing it.”
“Primary Trust” is 90 minutes without intermission but it creates the entire world of a fictional Rochester, N.Y., suburb, aided by the design team at Pittsburgh Public Theater, Haden said.
“They’re really great at constructing your dreams to make it happen,” he said.
He added that the set is designed both to give the audience a sense of place in multiple locations, but also to give the audience a sense of place in time. “It’s a memory play,” he said.
Freeland had a simple pitch for those on the fence about seeing the play: “Don’t be like old Kenneth. Get out the house. Get in your car, take a bus, take an Uber Downtown, get some dinner, make it a night.”
He promises a theatrical experience that will touch your heart.
“Come ready to listen, to grow, to learn. As Kenneth says, this play is about love and balance and time, and I think all of our lives are about love and balance and time.”
Pittsburgh Public Theater’s “Primary Trust” will run in previews until opening night on Saturday, then through April 12 at the O’Reilly Theater in Downtown Pittsburgh. For tickets and information, visit ppt.org.