THEATER
Heroes of the Fourth Turning
an Award-Winning Play by Will Arbery
directed by Rachel Park
April 18-27, 2024
Wednesday-Saturday at 7:30pm / Sunday at 2:00pm
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
“The sneaky, simple brilliance of Heroes of the Fourth Turning is that it’s not actually about its characters’ talking points at all. It’s about them. It’s not shouting; it’s listening.”
Vulture
It’s nearing midnight in Wyoming, where four young conservatives have gathered at a backyard after-party. They’ve returned home to toast their mentor Gina, newly inducted as president of a tiny Catholic college. But as their reunion spirals into spiritual chaos and clashing generational politics, it becomes less a celebration than a vicious fight to be understood. On a chilly night in the middle of America, Will Arbery’s haunting play offers grace and disarming clarity, speaking to the heart of a country at war with itself.
Will Arbery is a playwright and screenwriter. His play Heroes of the Fourth Turning premiered at Playwrights Horizons in 2019 and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist, OBIE winner, Lortel winner, New York Drama Critics Circle Award winner and John Gassner Memorial Award winner. It was named one of the best plays of the year by The New York Times, Vulture, Time Out and more. Corsicana premiered at Playwrights Horizons in 2022 and was a New York Times Critics Pick. Evanston Salt Costs Climbing had its New York premiere at The New Group and was the subject of a feature in The New York Times Magazine. Other plays include: Plano (Clubbed Thumb), You Hateful Things (NYTW Dartmouth Residency) and Wheelchair (3 Hole Press). He was the recipient of a Whiting Award in 2020. TV: Succession and Irma Vep. His work has been featured in The Paris Review. He’s currently under commission from Manhattan Theatre Club, Adventureland and The Met Opera. willarbery.com
“A perfect production that left me with my heart in my mouth.”
Time Out New York
This production is generously sponsored by the College of the Arts at Utah Tech University.
TICKETS
Heroes of the Fourth Turning by Will Arbery asks its audience to engage with intense content and characters in spiritual crisis. This production is intended to create conversation, one we hope you will find worthwhile, entertaining, and challenging.
This show delves into mature subject matter, encompassing explicit language, complex adult themes, and thought-provoking explorations of religion, sexuality, abortion, race, politics, and gender.
This production may contain: very loud and sudden noises, including gunshots; the use of a non-firing prop gun, and simulated vomiting.
MEET THE CAST
Rachel Park (director) is a Los Angeles-based director for live performance interested in interdisciplinary theatrical experiences and collaborative new play development. Her work has been performed at: MOCA Los Angeles, REDCAT, Walker Art Center, École de la Comédie de Saint-Étienne, Edinburgh International Festival, Center for the Arts at Kayenta, The Vagrancy, Under St. Marks, The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens, Stella Adler, and The New American Theatre. Additional collaborations of note include production work with: Apple, Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Performance Practice, The Getty Villa, Page 73, and CalArts Center for New Performance. She holds an MFA in Directing from CalArts, a BFA from Boston University, and is an alumna of Directors Lab West. www.rsvpark.com
Adalyn Enslen (Emily) is a current student at Utah Tech University and has been heavily involved in the productions since she started attending the university. She has been doing theatre since elementary school, starting out as a mermaid in a production of Peter Pan. She is very excited to be joining the team here at Kayenta and is looking forward to a new experience with such amazing people.
Sadie Kuwano (Theresa) is a tv/film, and theatre actor working in Los Angeles and New York, thrilled to be visiting beautiful southwest Utah! She’s a series regular on seasons one and two of In the Vault, streaming on Crackle. Selected Theatre, Los Angeles: PunkPlay (Circle X Theatre), Mama Mama (Coin & Ghost) NYC: Ubu Roi (Stairwell Theater), Robot 4 Christmas (Stages on the Sound) TV: Criminal Minds (CBS), I Think You Should Leave (Netflix), Fresh Off the Boat (ABC), Good Trouble (Freeform). Sadie also holds certifications in somatics, meditation and breathing, leading private and group classes for mind-body awareness, stress relief, and nervous system regulation. Education: CalArts BFA. Sagittarius sun, Libra moon, Aquarius Rising @sadieontheinternet
David Rosenblatt (Kevin) recently performed at the Center for the Arts at Kayenta in True West (Rachel Park, dir.), Dancing in the Flames (Joshua France, dir.) Los Angeles theater credits include Hecuba (Rachel Park, dir.) Film/TV work includes “The Moon Also Rises” (Cannes), “Minx” (HBO), “Little America” (Apple TV+), and Dad Stop Embarrassing Me (Netflix). David holds a BFA from Boston University and the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art
Jesse Saler (Justin) is a Los Angeles based actor, filmmaker, and photographer. He was recently seen recurring on Good Trouble (Freeform), the final season of Shameless (Showtime), and on Dave (FX). Just last month he was performing at On The Boards in Seattle with the play Our Country, which he previously performed at The Public Theater (NY), The Broad Stage (LA), and in Sibiu, Romania. Last year, Jesse and his wife Afton showed their award-winning documentary ‘Neurodivergent’ at 30+ film festivals around the globe. He is co-founder of the contemporary theater collective Poor Dog Group and has performed at REDCAT, LA Opera, Kirk Douglas Theater, Hammer Museum, Getty Villa, CAP UCLA, Blank-The-Dog Co., SCOTUS Theater, Theater @ Boston Court, LAX Festival, Pappas and Dancers, The Series, and Ulysses Theater in Croatia. IG: @jesse.saler
Debora Threedy (Gina) is an actor and a playwright. She has a degree in Theater Arts from Beloit College and trained at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Rochester, MI. Some of her favorite roles include Kate (the mother) in Brighton Beach Memoirs, Truvy in Steel Magnolias (both at Salt Lake Acting Company), Amanda in The Glass Menagerie, and Bernarda in The House of Bernarda Alba. Although this is her first time performing at Kayenta, three of her plays have been seen here: The End of the Horizon in 2021, Underground at the Outdoor Theater in 2013, and last summer her play-in-progress, Postcards from Mecca, with Teresa Sanderson, was workshopped here as part of the New Play Lab. Now retired, her thirty-plus years as a law professor were good preparation for the role of Gina.
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