As the end of Milton’s performing arts season nears, The Humans, the last of the 1212 plays for the year, took place in the Black Box Theater from April 30 to May 2. The Humans, written by Stephen Karam, follows a modern-day family gathering for Thanksgiving while also offering a look into the family’s individual and collective struggles. The production was directed by Shane Fuller and featured a six-person cast consisting of Lyla Tanzi ’26, Davey Glazer ’28, Vivienne Mockenhaupt ’27, Phoebe Zhang ’26, Nora Jin ’28, and Arsen Shymon ’27. As a 1212 play, a series of productions named for their previous location in Warren 1212, The Humans had a very different style compared to many other Milton Academy productions, both in scale and in material. While The Humans’ setting, a family dinner, is definitely less grand compared to those of other productions this year such as Hadestown or Clue, it provides a much-needed change and voice in Milton Academy’s performing arts, one that reflects our own everyday lives.
The play’s program quoted Napoleon Hill, who said “there are six basic fears, with some combination of which every human suffers at one time or another[:] the fear of poverty, the fear of criticism, the fear of ill health, the fear of loss of love of someone, the fear of old age, [and] the fear of death.” The production, through both its material and the actors’ performance, forced the audience to look upon each of these fears in a less suspect form. When reflecting upon his experience watching the performance, one audience member, Abe Laznik ’29, noted that “[he] honestly felt very emotional … watching [the interactions of] a family that [he was] sure many [audience members] can relate to.” This sentiment pervaded through the production as it explored many aspects of everyday family dynamics, including relationships, illness, financial struggles, and more. Furthermore, when looking at the themes present in the play, Marlo Trach ’28 stated that “The Humans reflected what modern life is like.”
Another highlight of the production was the excellence with which Milton Academy’s own students portrayed each character. Trach explained that student actors seek to embody characters even though they have different lived experiences, and that with The Humans, both the material and the performers, as actors and peers, aligning with many audience members was a great triumph. Trach explained how “the actors’ performance gave a lot of depth to the characters that [she didn’t] think [she] would get otherwise.”