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For its 27th season, South Philadelphia-based theater company Theatre Exile (1340 South 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147) selected compelling stories about characters embracing love, even as harsh realities and impossible odds confront them. This January, Theatre Exile presents the second show of its season, the Philadelphia debut of A Case for the Existence of God by MacArthur Fellow and Obie Award-winning playwright and screenwriter Samuel D. Hunter. Matt Pfeiffer will direct the production, starring Keith Conallen and Isaiah Caleb Stanley. The play is set to run from January 4 to January 21, presented in Theatre Exile’s intimate 100-seat black box theatre.
Theatre Exile fans may remember that in 2015, Pfeiffer directed the world premiere of The Whale, also written by Hunter, which garnered high praise and stellar reviews. The production won multiple Barrymore Awards, including Best Actor, Outstanding Direction of a Play, and Clear Sound Award for Outstanding Sound Design/Outstanding Overall Production of a Play. Also returning from the award winning production of The Whale is Set and Light Designer Thom Weaver.
Similar to The Whale, A Case for the Existence of God garnered several award nominations following its debut, most recently winning the 2022 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play. The Wall Street Journal wrote, “Mr. Hunter, one of the finest playwrights at work today, is anything but an ideologue. His subject is the complexities of specific human beings – appealingly unexceptional ones – and the trials, large and small, that life throws their way.”
The 2022 drama takes place in an office cubicle in Twin Falls, Idaho, where Keith (Stanley), a mortgage broker, is trying to help Ryan (Conallen) put together a loan to purchase property lost a generation ago by an irresponsible ancestor. As they struggle with balancing the loan, the two men open up to each other about the chokehold of financial insecurity and bond over their experiences as fathers. The New York Times called Hunter’s work “a must-see, heartbreaker of a play” that “argues for hope even in the face of extreme disappointment.” The 90-minute play takes audiences on a journey to understand the depth of insight these two characters share.
“Samuel D. Hunter’s A Case for the Existence of God is a play for our times,” said Deborah Block, Theatre Exile’s Producing Artistic Director. “It unapologetically dives deep into struggles around making a family, buying a house, and having meaningful connections. Like most of us, the characters can’t always see beyond the immediate obstacle they must address. Like an emotional roller coaster ride, the production takes audiences through the valleys and struggles around trying to be a good father. The show teaches us that, even when we can’t see it ourselves, the love we put into the world survives after all of the dust has settled.”
Actor Keith Conallen is a Philadelphia-based actor who has performed numerous times on the Theatre Exile stage, most recently in the 2022 Barrymore Award-nominated Wolf Play (Peter). He also performed in additional Exile shows, including Lieutenant of Inishmore (James), Gruesome Playground Injuries (Doug), and Red Speedo (Peter). He also garnered a Barrymore Award nomination for his role as Don Juan in Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Paul Vogel’s Don Juan Comes Back from Iraq, which premiered in 2014 at The Wilma Theatre. He also earned Barrymore Award nominations for his role as Stephen in The Long Christmas Ride Home (Mandell Theatre at Drexel University) and as Dave in Jump/Cut (The Adrienne Theater Second Stage)
Isaiah Caleb Stanley is a graduate of the Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY) whose theatre credits include Marcus Brutus in the Linny Fowler WillPower Tour: Julius Caesar (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival/various venues) and Newspaper Boy in Little Ham (Arena Players). Stanley also appeared in the 2019 cinematic short What If Black Boys Were Butterflies? and The Last Frost.
Honorary Producers Joni Marcus and Eddie Greves and Associate Producers Gayle and David Smith and The Brothers’ Network join Pfeiffer in bringing the production to the stage, with support from the Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation.
Pfeiffer leads a creative team featuring Scenic and Lighting Designer Thom Weaver, Sound Designer and Composer by Michael Kiley, Costume Designer Leigh Paradise, Props Designer Emily Schuman, and Audio Engineer Natali Merrill. Rounding out the team are Stage Manager Melody Wong and Assistant Stage Manager Miranda Watkins.
A Case for the Existence of God previews begin on January 4, the show opens on January 11, and the production runs through January 21. Tickets start at $10 and may be purchased HERE.
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