MEET THE CARTOZIANS

BY

TALENE MONAHON

DIRECTED BY

DAVID CROMER

Part riveting historical drama, part scorching satire, Talene Monahon’s Meet the Cartozians pulls back the curtain on a startling chapter of American history you may never have heard. This bold, witty new play follows two sets of Armenian Americans: one man fighting for legal recognition in the 1920s, while a century later, his descendant fights for followers and a competent glam team. A wildly imaginative and deeply compelling story of culture and heritage, Meet the Cartozians asks who gets to belong — and at what cost?

Subscribe to Season 47 to reserve your seat. Single tickets will go on sale later this summer.

Second Stage Theater’s programs are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

The Season is supported by a grant from the Howard Gilman Foundation.

^30 Under 30 Party

*Across the Boards - Join members of the creative team for a discussion following the performance.

(i) Insider's Night - An exclusive event for 2ST Subscribers. Join us one hour before for wine, hors d’oeuvres, and intimate discussion with one of the show’s designers.

OC - Open Captioned Performance. Text is displayed at the side of the stage in real time, including dialogue and sound effects from the production.

AD - Audio Described Performance. Using special audio equipment, commentary and narration is provided during the performance, guiding the listener through the show with descriptions of scenes, costumes, etc. in between dialogue or songs.

BY TALENE MONAHON

Talene Monahon (Playwright) is a person of Armenian and Irish descent and a playwright of actor descent. Off-Broadway: The Good John Proctor (Bedlam Theater, The New Yorker’s “Top 10 Best Plays of 2023”), Jane Anger (New Ohio; 2022 Off-Broadway Alliance Best New Play Nominee), How to Load a Musket (Less than Rent; TheaterMania’s “The 10 Best Theater Productions of 2020”), and Frankie & Will (MCC). Regional: Trinity Rep, Shakespeare Theater of D.C., The Warehouse Theater, Maryland Ensemble Theater, and Peterborough Players. International: The Good John Proctor (Jermyn Street Theater, London, Off-West End Nominee–Best New Play). Her plays have been developed with SouthCoast Rep, Classic Stage Company, Lincoln Center, Clubbed Thumb, Northern Stage and LA Shakespeare. Talene’s work is published by TRW, and has also been featured in The Cincinnati Review and McSweeney’s. She teaches Playwriting at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference. Education: B.A. Senior Fellow, Dartmouth College. Talene was featured in the NYTimes 2023 list of "Rising Theater Stars."

DIRECTED BY DAVID CROMER

David Cromer (Director) New York credits include Dead Outlaw; Good Night, and Good Luck; The Antiquities; The Counter; I’m Almost There; Prayer for the French Republic; Camp Siegfried; A Case for the Existence of God; The Sound Inside; The Band’s Visit; The Treasurer; The House of Blue Leaves; Brighton Beach Memoirs; Nikolai and the Others; The Effect; When the Rain Stops Falling; Tribes; Adding Machine; Our Town; and Orson’s Shadow. For his work he has received a Tony Award, a Drama Desk, three Obies and three Lortels, and in 2010 he was named a MacArthur Foundation fellow.

COMING SOON.

PERFORMANCE DATES

WHERE

BEGINS OCTOBER 2025

THE PERSHING SQUARE SIGNATURE CENTER / OFF-BROADWAY