Upcoming production of ‘Primary Trust’ at the Contemporary Theatre offers an intimate look at loneliness

Olivia Arthur
Wed, 22 Apr 2026 01:12:16 +0000
Arts & Life, Fine Arts, Instagram Page, News, audience experience, bookstore closure, Brian C Gray, character study, columbus theater, Contemporary Theatre, Eboni Booth, emotional play, hope and healing, human connection, indie theater, intimate theater, Kenneth Bert, life changes, live arts Columbus, live performance, loneliness themes, male loneliness, modern drama, ohio theatre, Primary Trust, Pulitzer drama, relationship building, scenic design, small town story, social isolation, stage drama, studio two [and 2 more]

The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio will show the 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Primary Trust” by Eboni Booth Thursday through May 10. Credit: Courtesy of Meredith Liepelt

Starting Thursday, The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio will show the 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Primary Trust” by Eboni Booth, which has sparked conversations around male loneliness.

The production runs through May 10 in Studio Two at the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts.

“It does change how you think about the space for the play, and how things look and feel,” said Katherine Simon, the play’s scenic designer. “The audience is part of it and the actors can see them, and they can definitely see the actors, so it’s a very intimate space.”

According to the Contemporary Theatre of Ohio’s website, the show follows Kenneth and his consistent routine through life in a small town with his best friend Bert. When the bookstore he works at closes and he is left without a job, Kenneth is left to face his biggest fear, change.

“I think he’s someone who has figured out how to exist in the world, but for whom his comfortable places are definitely a welcome kind of reprieve from the more questioning, more unknown places in life,” Simon said.

In a world where loneliness and change are a constant and usually come hand in hand, Simon said the show is being played around the country.

“It’s definitely speaking to people,” Simon said. “We’re experiencing increasingly a world that is easy to feel really isolated and lonely in.”

While the play covers serious topics of loneliness and trauma, its overall message is a hopeful one, Simon said.

“I hope that people can come to it and recognize those kinds of moments of connection in their own lives, the possibility for positive change and also maybe just appreciate the people and places in their life that makes them feel really safe and comfortable,” Simon said. “I think that the play finishes with a really lovely amount of hope about building connection and making relationships and new friends.”

Brian C. Gray, the actor who plays Bert, has been with the Contemporary Theatre for many years and said the experience of playing his character was rewarding.

“Once the audience is there and you can see what you’ve created,” Gray said. “They can understand it and they come up and appreciate the work, and then go out and tell others and have conversations. That’s the reward.”

Gray said he hopes the audience can connect with someone on stage and leave the theater with the feeling that they are not alone.

“It may seem like you’re alone,” Gray said. “There are always people around. There’s always somebody that wants you to be there and wants you to be present, so, look for those. Find those people — they’re there. We’re going to see them on that stage, and I hope everyone starts looking for them in their daily lives as well.”

Tickets are $68.55 each, inclusive of fees, and now include reserved seating. Tickets may be purchased online on The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio’s website.?