'History of Now,' a Play About Humanity, Debuts at SoHo Playhouse

Real stories of Holocaust survivors weave their way through the immersive, groundbreaking production “History of Now” by executive producer, director, and playwright Jayson Bartlett. This examination of the human spirit showcases a powerful story of love, courage, and hope that will leave the audience thinking about past and present-day society, humanity, and empathy.

Best known in the United Kingdom for his critically acclaimed plays “The Luckiest Man In The World,” “The Interview” and “The Forgotten Room,” Bartlett debuts his new play on its first stop of the Building Bridges, Not Walls United States tour at SoHo Playhouse in New York City at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 17.

Bartlett plans to continue to showcase the play all over the world.

“The History of Now” was written from Bartlett’s several years traveling through Europe and speaking to eyewitnesses and survivors of the Holocaust. This piece brings those first-hand stories through a play told by fictional characters both in the present and in the past.

“I feel very honored that I shared the experiences of those who survived the Holocaust,” he says. “It was a life-changing time for me, and I hope it will somehow be the same for the audience.”

Bartlett says he has never seen this play as a Holocaust play. However, he is proud to carry that description.

“I believe it is a human story that transcends some of the critical moments in history through the lens of the Holocaust,” Bartlett says.

The subject matter is the dark backdrop that allows for the shining light of hope, which comes through the narrative and the clear message that simple individual choices can be the catalyst for positive change.

“My vision through my work is to unveil old traditions of power, greed, and a belief system that recycles bigotry and hate; and to explore what binds us to one another and, at the same time, keeps dividing us. Ignorance, confusion, and indifference breed mistrust, anger, and violence.

“Please join me in pulling back the curtains of Now while remembering our commonalities: our need to be loved, accepted, protected, acknowledged. These constants connect us at a level deeper than any ideology.

“Today we are a divided country, yet history shows that we always come together for the common good.”

SoHo Playhouse is located at 15 Vandam St. New York, NY 10013.

To purchase tickets, call the box office at 212-691-1555 between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, log on to https://ci.ovationtix.com/3558 or head to the Box Office window after 4 p.m. daily or two hours prior to the performances.

For more information about “History of Now,” log on to:

https://historyofnowproductions.com/

https://www.instagram.com/historyofnowproductions/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092866195975

For more about Jayson Bartlett, log on to https://www.jaysonbartlett.com/

JAYSON BARTLETT BIO:

Jayson is an Anglo-Canadian writer now living in the United States. He spent his formative years growing up in the United Kingdom, where his academic studies showed much promise until a series of illnesses disrupted his education. In 1975 as a 14-year-old, he wrote his first play entitled "Threedom," a short comedy about cesarean triplets. The ridicule and negative feedback from his teachers destroyed the little confidence he had and it would be 27 years before he wrote his next play, "The Luckiest Man," which received excellent reviews.

Jayson began to hone his writing skills between 1980 and 1990 as a lyricist while performing with several groups until 1988. However, in 1991, the death of his son changed his life. He began to suffer from severe depression and alcoholism. He revisited this theme in his stage play "The Forgotten Room" in 2005. The night after the final performance, he was sitting writing with the television on in the background. The program "Songs of Praise" was commemorating the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. This was to be a defining moment in his life and work. Several weeks later, he left the UK and traveled throughout Europe researching the events surrounding the "Holocaust." 2022 saw this powerful and unapologetic production hit the stage for its premiere and tour.

Bartlett's other works include “life,” “The Interview,” “Familiar Strangers,” and much more. At present, he is working on the novel "Street Writer" and is directing the "History of Now."

ABOUT SOHO PLAYHOUSE:

The SoHo Playhouse stands on land that was once Richmond Hill, a colonial mansion that served as headquarters for General George Washington and later home to Aaron Burr. Purchased from Burr in 1817, the land was then developed into federalist-style row houses by fur magnate John Jacob Astor.

15 Van Dam Street was designated at the Huron Club, a popular meeting house and night club for the Democratic Party. The turn of the century brought the Tammany Hall machine to the Huron Club. Prominent regulars included "Battery" Dan Finn and the infamous Jimmy "Beau James" Walker, known as "The Night Mayor" due to his predilection for jazz clubs and chorus girls.

The main floor was transformed into a theater in the 1920s, and in the 1960s operated as the Village South, home to Playwrights Unit Workshop under the direction of Edward Albee. It was on this stage that Mr. Albee produced many first works of Terrance Mcnally, John Guare, Lanford Wilson, Sam Shephard, AR Gurney, and Leroi Jones.