Final Performance, Sunday, Dec 18, 2022.
“This tiny play about love and loss and betrayal in a dying Middle America is something everyone should see and then talk about.” – Variety
“Arbery is one of the theater’s greatest listeners, able to hear and reproduce the subtle and deeply specific ways individuals reveal themselves and their relationships to others with language.” – The New York Times Magazine
“Surreal touches lend mystery to the mundane in this teasingly existential comedy-drama.” – TheaterMania
Winters keep getting worse in Evanston, IL where salt truck drivers Peter and Basil battle the ice and snow and pass the time with jokes and stories. But what’s with this creeping sense of dread? Is it because their boss Maiworm has noble visions of new green technology that would make their jobs obsolete? Or is there a more terrifying warning calling out from under these roads? At least they have each other, right?
Pulitzer Prize finalist Will Arbery confronts humanity’s darkest fears with humor, warmth, and the fortitude of municipal public servants in this play about climate and change.
Directed by Danya Taymor (Heroes of the Fourth Turning by Will Arbery, “Daddy” with The New Group), Evanston Salt Costs Climbing features Quincy Tyler Bernstine (Ruined, Marys Seacole), Jeb Kreager (HBO’s Mare of Easttown, Heroes of the Fourth Turning), Ken Leung (HBO’s Industry, Lost) and Rachel Sachnoff (Evanston Salt Costs Climbing at White Heron Theatre).
Download the digital program HERE.
Evanston Salt Costs Climbing is the second collaboration between writer Will Arbery and director Danya Taymor. They previously teamed up on the Obie-winning, Pulitzer nominated, critically-lauded production of Heroes of the Fourth Turning in 2019. The production also featured Evanston Salt actor Jeb Kreager!
Production photography by Monique Carboni.
COVID-19 PROTOCOLS + SAFETY
The safety of our audiences is one of The New Group’s top priorities. In accordance with Signature Theatre policies, masks must be worn during all shows in the 2022 calendar year. Acceptable masks include cloth masks with 2-3 layers of fabric, surgical masks, KN95, and N95 masks. Masks should only be removed when actively eating or drinking. We will provide additional updates to these policies as they continue to change and evolve.
**This production uses haze and a strobe light effect. This production contains strong language and the discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) any time, day or night, or chat online.
Support for Evanston Salt Costs Climbing is provided by The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation. Generous support for The New Group is provided by The Shubert Foundation and The Howard Gilman Foundation.
Evanston Salt Costs Climbing is supported in part by National Endowment for the Arts. The New Group’s productions are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. The New Group’s productions are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
Production photography by Monique Carboni.
World Premiere Production Presented by White Heron Theatre Company, New Neighborhood, Jay Alix & Una Jackman and Rebecca Kitt Lynne Bolton & Rolin Jones, Artistic Director Michael Kopko, Managing Director
Evanston Salt Costs Climbing was developed at the 2017 Ojai Playwrights Conference: Robert Egan, Artistic Director/Producer
