Actors Linda Powell, Andrew Garman, Larry Powell, and Philip Kerr are seated while an ensemble choir sings. It is a church scene from The Christians. A large illuminated cross hangs in the background.

Linda Powell, Andrew Garman, Larry Powell, Philip Kerr, and ensemble choir. Photo by Joan Marcus.

None

Linda Powell, Andrew Garman, Larry Powell, Philip Kerr, and ensemble choir. Photo by Joan Marcus.

None

Emily Donahoe, Linda Powell, and Andrew Garman. Photo by Joan Marcus.

None

Andrew Garman and Larry Powell. Photo by Joan Marcus.

None

Playwright Lucas Hnath. Photo by Zack DeZon.

The Christians


Mainstage Theater


Written by Lucas Hnath
Directed by Les Waters

Ten years ago, Pastor Paul’s church was a modest storefront. Now it houses thousands, with a coffee shop in the lobby and a baptismal font as big as a swimming pool. But Paul is about to preach a sermon that will shake the foundation of his congregation’s beliefs. Backed by a live choir, The Christians is both epic and unexpectedly intimate, an unflinching look at faith in America — and its power to unite or divide.

Featuring
Emily Donahoe
Jenny, a church congregant
Andrew Garman
Paul, a pastor
Philip Kerr
Jay, a church elder
Larry Powell
Joshua, the associate pastor
Linda Powell
Elizabeth, the pastor's wife
Creative Team
Dane Laffrey
Scenic Design
Connie Furr Soloman
Costume Design
Ben Stanton
Lighting Design
Jake Rodriguez
Sound Design
Marisa Levy
Production Stage Manager
Reviews
  • “Critics' Pick. THE FIRST IMPORTANT NEW PLAY OF THE FALL SEASON. Ingeniously staged by Les Waters, this terrific play about the mystery of faith by Lucas Hnath — one of the freshest playwriting voices to emerge in the past five years — is MESMERIZING.”

    — Charles Isherwood, The New York Times
  • “DEEPLY AFFECTING. EMOTIONALLY DEVASTATING. A white-knuckled drama about a theological battle. This is a production we can believe in.”

    — Elisabeth Vincentelli, The New York Post
More Reviews
  • “A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN with a chorus whose voices blend in harmonies as bright as their choir robes!”

    — Joe Dziemianowicz, New York Daily News
  • “EXTRAORDINARY! Lucas Hnath dares us to see anti-religious prejudice as just another form of faith.”

    — Jesse Green, New York magazine