Offensive. Foul-mouthed. Horrific. Hilarious. Come to a church group even Satan would love.
Described as Avenue Q meets Little Shop of Horrors, get ready for Hand to God, the Tony-nominated, darkly humorous horror shocker, puppets included, running now until July 10, 2022, at the newly-modernized Copley Theatre, 8 E. Galena Blvd., right across the street from Paramount Theatre in downtown Aurora.
The second play in Paramount’s new BOLD Series, Hand to God promises to deliver again on Paramount’s pledge to bring fearless, thought-provoking and unexpected new forms of live theater to downtown Aurora.
A small church ministry therapy group in Texas is the unlikely setting for Hand to God, a darkly humorous horror shocker guaranteed to leave your sides sore from laughter and your face soaked in tears.
Brilliantly written by Richard Askins, Hand to God creates a funny, striking and poignant exploration of the deeply human journey of loss and the demons (both mythical and subliminal) that accompany the voyage. If God works in mysterious ways, wait until you see what Satan has up his, or at the end of your, sleeve.
Paramount’s BOLD Series production of Hand to God features August Forman as Jason/Tyrone, with Adam Wesley Brown as Pastor Greg, Jordan Moore as Timmy, Felicia Oduh as Jessica, and Monica West as Margery.
The Copley Theatre, a sleek, state-of-the-art, 165-seat theater with a modern new lobby bar, reopened in March as downtown Aurora’s newest live theater space following a two-year, $2 million, top-to-bottom renovation. Since then, the Copley has been welcoming new audiences with a critically acclaimed staging of Lynn Nottage’s working-class drama, Sweat, Paramount’s inaugural BOLD Series opener.
Hand to God performance schedule and ticket information
Hand to God runs through July 10. Showtimes are Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sundays at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $67 to $74.
The Copley Theatre is located at 8 E. Galena Blvd., in the North Island Center, directly across the street from Paramount Theatre in downtown Aurora. For tickets and information, visit paramountaurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount box office, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Note: Hand to God is suggested for ages 18 and up due to strong adult language, sexual harassment, simulated sex and simulated sexual violence.
Trent Stork,Associate Artistic Producer and Casting Director at Paramount, directs. Stork made their Paramount directing debut in 2018 at the helm of Legally Blonde (Broadwayworld.com Award – Best Direction of a Musical), followed by Paramount’s 2021-22, smash hit season opener, Kinky Boots. They have worked on the directing team for 19 productions at Paramount, 13 of those alongside Artistic Director Jim Corti. Outside of Paramount, Stork has worked at the Kaufman Center in New York City, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Angels Theatre Company and The Nebraska Repertory Theatre, among others. They also started their own casting company, Trent Stork Casting, and was the Chicago casting director for the new West Side Story adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg.
The Hand to God production team includes Jonathan Berg-Einhorn, scenic designer; Yvonne L. Miranda, costume designer; Cat Wilson, lighting designer; Jeffrey Levin, sound designer; Paul Deziel, projection design; Aimee Plant, properties designer; Jon Beal, fight choreographer; Jyreika Guest, intimacy director; Catherine Miller, dramaturg; Susan Gosdick, dialect coach; Spencer Lott, puppetry coach; Sara Gammage, stage manager; and Lanita VanderSchaaf, assistant stage manager.
Robert Askins (playwright) was born in Cypress, Texas in 1980. He moved to New York in 2005. His play Hand to God was first produced off Broadway in 2011 and 2014, then on Broadway in 2015, the latter receiving five Tony Awards nominations, including for Best New Play. The New York Times wrote “Askins’ darkly delightful play really inspires goose bumps as he unleashes a reign of terror…But he’s also flat-out hilarious, spewing forth acid comedy that will turn those goose bumps into guffaws.” Askins’s other plays include The Squirrels, Permission, Princes of Waco, Matthew and the Pastor’s Wife and The Love Song of the Albanian Sous Chef. Askins is an alumnus of I-73, Youngblood, and a member of The Ensemble Studio Theatre. He has received two E.S.T./Sloan grants, an Arch and Bruce Davis Award and the Helen Merrill Award for emerging playwrights.
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