The Antiquities
- Written by Jordan Harrison
- Directed by David Cromer and Caitlin Sullivan
Jordan Harrison was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for Marjorie Prime, which had its New York premiere at Playwrights Horizons after premiering at the Mark Taper Forum. Other plays include Maple and Vine, Log Cabin, and Doris to Darlene (all at Playwrights Horizons), The Amateurs (Vineyard Theatre), The Grown-Up (Humana Festival), Amazons and their Men (Clubbed Thumb), Futura (NAATCO), Act a Lady (Humana Festival), and Finn in the Underworld (Berkeley Rep). He is the recipient of the Horton Foote Prize, the Kesselring Prize, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. TV: Three seasons as writer-producer on the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black,” as well as Netflix’s “GLOW” and AMC’s “Dispatches from Elsewhere.” A print collection of Jordan’s work, Maple and Vine & Other Plays, will be published later this year by TCG.
David Cromer directed the world premiere of Prayer for the French Republic off-Broadway. Also in New York his credits include Camp Siegfried, A Case for the Existence of God, The Sound Inside, The Band’s Visit, The Treasurer, The House of Blue Leaves, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Nikolai and the Others, The Effect, When the Rain Stops Falling, Tribes, Adding Machine, Our Town, and Orson’s Shadow. For his work he has received a Tony Award, a Drama Desk, three Obies, three Lortels, and in 2010 he was named a MacArthur Foundation fellow.
Caitlin Sullivan is a director and theater maker based in New York City. Recent work includes Find Me Here (Crystal Finn/Clubbed Thumb), The Keep Going Songs (The Bengsons/LCT3), The Good John Proctor (Talene Monahon/Bedlam), Nova (Obehi Janice/Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and Pemberley Productions), United States vs Gupta (Deepali Gupta/JACK in collaboration with New Georges), WORK HARD HAVE FUN MAKE HISTORY (reid tang/Clubbed Thumb), Ohio (The Bengsons/Actors Theatre of Louisville and piece by piece productions), and Sanctuary City (Martyna Majok/NYTW). Caitlin co-founded Seattle's critically acclaimed Satori Group. As Artistic Director, she created and/or directed seven original works. Born and raised in Boston (Dorchester!), Caitlin is a graduate of Williams College; an alum of the Drama League Directors Project, the Clubbed Thumb Directing Fellowship and the New Georges Jam; and a New Georges Affiliate Artist. www.caitlinesullivan.com
At the Museum of Late Human Antiquities, the curators are fiercely committed to bringing a lost civilization to life again: What were humans really like? What did they wear, what did they eat, how did they die out? By casting us into the far future, Jordan Harrison’s new play gives us an uncanny view of the present moment, as we straddle the analog world that was and the post-human world to come.
Co-produced with the Vineyard Theatre and the Goodman Theatre
Lead support for The Antiquities was provided by Vienn and Salman Al-Rashid.
The Antiquities also received generous support from the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, the Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Antiquities is a recipient of the Laurents / Hatcher Citation of Excellence. Production supported in part by The Laurents / Hatcher Foundation.
“Marjorie Prime, Jordan Harrison’s elegant, thoughtful and quietly unsettling drama… keeps developing in your head, like a photographic negative, long after you’ve seen it. Written and performed with exquisite carefulness, [it] succeeds handily as a piece of futuristic speculation, as a rumination on technology… More important, Mr. Harrison’s play succeeds as a poignant portrayal of everyday existences, of unexceptional people given just enough characterizing detail to make us fear for their losing what individuality they have.”
— The New York Times
“Filled with dazzling wordplay, archaic vocabulary, and odd malapropisms, the theatrical worlds of Jordan Harrison lift language off the page and into three-dimensional space, creating a universe that is surreal and sublime, brainy and beautiful — and wholly his own.”
— The Brooklyn Rail
Read More
Cindy Cheung
Woman 3Marchánt Davis
Man 2Layan Elwazani
Woman 4Andrew Garman
Man 3Aria Shahghasemi
Man 1Kristen Sieh
Woman 1Ryan Spahn
Man 4Julius Rinzel
BoyAmelia Workman
Woman 2Cindy Cheung (Woman 3. she/her). Playwrights Horizons: Catch as Catch Can, Log Cabin, Iow@. Vineyard Theatre: Middletown. Select Off-Broadway: Coach Coach (Clubbed Thumb); Merry Me (NYTW); Golden Shield (MTC), Tiny Beautiful Things (Long Wharf),The Great Immensity (The Civilians), The Seagull (NAATCO), Sides: The Fear Is Real (Ma-Yi/MIYAGI). TV/Film: Dying For Sex, The Sinner, The Flight Attendant, Awkwafina, Billions, 13 Reasons Why, Bull, Loveboat Taipei, Mistress America, Obvious Child. Member: The Actors Center, The Civilians. UCLA and ACT.
Marchánt Davis (Man 2, he/him) is a Brooklyn-based actor, writer, and producer. Davis can be seen in HBO’s feature film Reality (based on Vineyard Theatre’s Is This A Room). He also starred in Chris Morris’s The Day Shall Come. Film: A Journal for Jordan (dir. Denzel Washington), Tuscaloosa, and Incomplete. He received Lucille Lortel and Audelco Award nominations for his performance in Ain’t No Mo’ at The Public Theater. Broadway: Ain’t No Mo’, Good Night Oscar, and The Great Society. MFA: NYU Tisch Graduate Acting Program.
Layan Elwazani (Woman 4, she/her). Broadway and National Tour: The Band's Visit. Select Regional: Noura (the Guthrie), We Live in Cairo (American Rep), Yasmina's Necklace (Premiere Stages). TV: The Code. Solo Work: ten days ago (Brown Arts Institute Two-Time Artist Grant Recipient). Currently earning an MFA in Acting from Brown/Trinity (Class of 2025).
Andrew Garman (Man 3, he/him). Playwrights Horizons: The Christians (Drama Desk, Lortel Award nom). Broadway: Salomé (The Actor’s Studio). Select Off-Broadway premieres: Greater Clements, Admissions (Lincoln Center), Stargazers (Page 73), The Glory of the World (BAM), Ashville (Cherry Lane/Rattlestick), The Ugly One (Soho Rep), Burning (New Group), A Bright New Boise, The Bereaved, After (The Wild Project/Partial Comfort). Most recent tv/film appearances: the upcoming season of “The Gilded Age” as Mr. Delancey, and The Holdovers (2024 Oscar nom for Best Picture), as Headmaster Woodrup.
Aria Shahghasemi (Man 1, he/him). Theater: Prayer for the French Republic (MTC), Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet (The Curtain), Connected (59E59), Pluto is Missing! (The PIT). TV/Film: “The Penguin” (HBO), “Legacies” (CW), No Alternative (Indie). Radio: Julius Caesar, The Tempest, Richard II (Shakespeare@Home), Corellion (Raconteur Studios).
Kristen Sieh (Woman 1, she/her). Playwrights Horizons: Men On Boats. The Vineyard: Scene Partners, RoosevElvis. Broadway: The Band’s Visit (original cast). Other Off-Broadway credits include: The Public Theater (Gatz, February House, Fortress of Solitude), Ars Nova (Dr. Ride’s American Beach House), Classic Stage Company (Iphigenia at Aulis), Here (O, Earth), and performances in NYC, regionally and internationally with companies such as ERS, Half-Straddle, Banana Bag & Bodice, and The Builder’s Association. She is a founding member of The TEAM, with whom she has co-written, performed and costume designed numerous works including RoosevElvis, Particularly In the Heartland, and Architecting. Kristen has also appeared on TV (The Plot Against America, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Boardwalk Empire, etc.) and on your phone as an award-winning narrator of audiobooks. In 2023 she received a certificate in horticulture from NYBG.
Ryan Spahn (Man 4, he/him). Vineyard Theatre: Gloria (Pulitzer finalist). Select off-Broadway: Jordans, Merry Me, Good Enemy, Last Podcast On Earth, Jane Anger, Daniel's Husband, Moscow x6, Exit Strategy, Summer & Smoke. TV: Zero Day, Elsbeth, AHS: Delicate, Succession, Modern Love, The Bite, Chicago: P.D., The Blacklist. Ryan co-wrote the film He’s Way More Famous Than You, and his play Inspired By True Events premiered in the green room of the former New Ohio (OOTB). Juilliard.
Julius Rinzel (Boy, he/him). Off-Broadway debut. Julius is an 8th grader at the Professional Performing Arts School. Credits include: Be More Chill, Royal Blood (PPAS); Into the Woods Jr. (ACANY); Matilda, The Aristocats, As You Like It, Annie, Macbeth, more (Childs Play NY). Julius has also acted in a number of musical readings and short films.
Amelia Workman (Woman 2, she/her). Broadway: American Son (Kerry Washington u/s). Select Off-Broadway: Fefu and Her Friends (TFANA), Coriolanus (The Delacorte), The Lucky Ones (Ars Nova), On The Shore of the Wide World (Atlantic), The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World (Signature), Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (Ars Nova), The Shipment (The Kitchen). Film: A Thousand and One (Sundance Grand Jury Winner). TV: “American Rust” (Amazon Prime).
Paul Steinberg
Scenic DesignerBrenda Abbandandolo
Costume DesignerTyler Micoleau
Lighting DesignerChristopher Darbassie
Sound DesignerLeah Loukas
Wig and Hair DesignerSarah Lunnie
DramaturgJeremy Chernick
SFX ConsultantErin Gioia Albrecht
Production Stage ManagerKayla Uribe
Assistant Stage ManagerAnn James
Intimacy Coordinator and Sensitivity SpecialistPaul Steinberg (Scenic Designer, he/him). Playwrights Horizons: Kin. Broadway: M. Butterfly. Off Broadway: Judgment Day (Henry Hewes Award Park Ave Armory), The Twilight Zone (Almeida Theater and West End, London). Opera: Falstaff, Masked Ball, Rosenkavalier (Met Opera), Semiramide (ROH London), Il Trovatore (Bregenz Festival), Don Giovanni, Peter Grimes, Der Meistersinger (ENO, London), Wozzeck (Komische Oper Berlin), La Calisto (Munich), Tamerlano (Frankfurt), Billy Budd (Golden Mask Award Bolshoi Opera), Tanhauser (Opera Nomori, Tokyo). Paul is an Arts Professor at NYU/Tisch School of the Arts Department of Design For Stage and Film.
Brenda Abbandandolo (Costume Designer, she/her). Playwrights Horizons debut. Vineyard Theatre: Scene Partners. Broadway: Mary Jane, The Sign In Sidney Brustein’s Window (2023 Hewes Design Award). Off Broadway: The Sign In Sidney Brustein’s Window (BAM), Camp Siegfried (Second Stage), A Case for the Existence Of God and Octet (Signature), Russian Troll Farm (Virtual: Obie Award), Moby Dick (A.R.T), Continuity (MTC), Enemy Of The People (The Guthrie), I’ll Get You Back Again (Roundhouse), The Team’s Mission Drift (National Theatre, London), Film/TV: Easy’s Waltz, Quiz Lady, Coda (Academy Award, Best Picture), An American Pickle, The Disaster Artist, “Saturday Night Live” (Associate CD). MFA: NYU.
Tyler Micoleau (Lighting Designer, he/him). Playwrights Horizons: Familiar, Iowa, Antlia Pneumatica (Drama Desk nomination), Refuge. Vineyard Theatre: Middletown, God’s Ear, Arlington. Broadway: Buena Vista Social Club (upcoming), Into The Woods, American Buffalo, Be More Chill, The Band’s Visit (Tony Award for Best Lighting Design). Recent Off-Broadway: Hold On To Me Darling (Lucille Lortel), Like They Do In The Movies (PACNYC), Camp Siegfried (2ST), A Case For The Existence of God (Signature). Other notable Off-Broadway: When The Rain Stops Falling (Lincoln Center Theater, Lucille Lortel Award), Blasted (Soho Rep, Hewes Award), Bug (Barrow Street Theater, Lortel and OBIE awards). OBIE award for sustained excellence.
Christopher Darbassie (Sound Designer, they/them). Playwrights Horizons: Amusements. Other Off Broadway: The Counter (Roundabout), Table 17 (MCC), Six Characters (LCT3), Grangeville, A Bright New Boise, A Case for the Existence of God (Signature NYC), The Apiary, Camp Siegfried, Patience (2ST), I’m Almost There (Audible @ Minetta Lane/Francesca Moody Productions @ Edinburgh Fringe), This Beautiful Future (Cherry Lane), the Uncle Vanya in a loft, P.S. (Ars Nova), Preparedness, Black Exhibition, Demons (Bushwick Starr), Packages O’ the Things We Deliver (National Black Theatre), and work at Weston Theater, Alliance, Playmakers Rep, CATF, and more.
Leah Loukas (Wig and Hair Designer, she/her). Playwrights Horizons: Doris to Darlene, The Shaggs, Your Mother's Copy of the Kama Sutra, The Treasurer. Vineyard Theatre: Scene Partners, Gigantic, Checkers. Broadway: Oh, Mary!, Lempicka, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window; Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; Sweat; Oh, Hello; On the Town; A Night with Janis Joplin; Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Additional Off-Broadway: Big Gay Jamboree. TV: “Annie Live!” (Emmy winner), “Only Murders in the Building” Season 3 (Emmy nominated, Hair Stylist).
Sarah Lunnie (Dramaturg, she/her). Playwrights Horizons: The Thin Place, The Christians, Miles for Mary. Broadway: What The Constitution Means To Me; A Doll’s House, Part 2; Hillary and Clinton; Grand Horizons. Select Off-Broadway: Public Obscenities, The Ally, Where The Mountain Meets the Sea, Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie, among many others. Sarah has worked in the artistic offices of the Jungle Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and Playwrights Horizons. She is the Senior Dramaturg of the Public Theater.
Jeremy Chernick (SFX Consultant, he/him) has worked on over 50 Broadway shows, as well as countless projects around the world. Playwrights: Teeth, Mr. Burns.
Erin Gioia Albrecht (Production Stage Manager, she/her). Playwrights Horizons: Stereophonic, A Strange Loop, Wives, Dance Nation, Mankind, Bella, A Life, Men on Boats, Marjorie Prime, The Christians. Broadway: Stereophonic, A Strange Loop, Bullets Over Broadway, Matilda, Bronx Bombers, Hands on a Hardbody. Other Off-Broadway: The Connector, The Light, Charm, Punk Rock, The Village Bike (MCC); India Pale Ale (MTC); Red Speedo (NYTW). Regional: Cowboy Bob at The Alley, Woolly Mammoth, The 5th Avenue, The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse. MFA: UC San Diego.
Kayla Uribe (Assistant Stage Manager, she/her). Broadway: Romeo + Juliet, & Juliet, Harmony, Camelot. Off Broadway: The Connector (MCC). Regional: Hamlet (Shakespeare in the Park), The Glimmerglass Festival. Touring: The Ghosts of Versailles (Château de Versailles Spectacles), An Officer and a Gentleman (First National Tour).
Ann James (Intimacy Coordinator and Sensitivity Specialist). OBIE Award. Broadway: SUNSET BOULEVARD, A WONDERFUL WORLD, EUREKA DAY, LEMPICKA, THE OUTSIDERS, HAMILTON, PARADE, SWEENEY TODD, ILLINOISE, and others. Off-Broadway: 3 SUMMERS OF LINCOLN, JONAH, HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF, THE COMEUPPANCE, EVANSTON SALT COSTS CLIMBING, MY BROKEN LANGUAGE, THE HALF-GOD OF RAINFALL, HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES, THE LONELY FEW.
Content Transparency
The Antiquities runs approximately 100 minutes with no intermission.
Age Recommendation: Due to adult language and subject matter, this play is best suited for those aged 14+.
For more details, please reference our Content Transparency section below.
*May contain plot spoilers.
For a description of topics and sensory experiences that audiences may find distressing in advance of attending The Antiquities, please click here to read our Content Transparency Statement. If you have any additional questions about content, age-appropriateness, or stage effects (such as strobe lights) that might have a bearing on patron comfort, please utilize our Audience Services Form or email audienceservices@phnyc.org .
Lead support for The Antiquities was provided by Vienn and Salman Al-Rashid.
The Antiquities has received generous support from the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, the Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Antiquities received generous support from Wessex Grove.
The Antiquities is a recipient of the Laurents / Hatcher Citation of Excellence. Production supported in part by The Laurents / Hatcher Foundation.
