LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
SEPTEMBER 5 - OCTOBER 11, 2026
“A must-see heartbreaker of a play.” — The New York Times
Samuel D. Hunter’s A Case for the Existence of God
September 5 - October 11, 2026
Directed by John Perrin Flynn
Henry Murray Stage
Rogue Machine has a longstanding relationship with the work of Samuel D. Hunter, having previously produced the West Coast premieres of A Bright New Boise, A Permanent Image, and Pocatello, as well as the Southern California premiere of A Great Wilderness. Following Hunter’s recent Tony nomination for Little Bear Ridge Road, we are thrilled to present the Los Angeles premiere of this intimate, deeply moving play about two fathers who form an unexpected bond through shared vulnerability, parenthood, and economic uncertainty.
A Case for the Existence of God won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play and was nominated for Outstanding Play by the Drama Desk Awards.
Produced by Lexi Sloan
Associate Producers: Sheryl Scott & Byron Coolie
CAST + CREATIVE TEAM
CAST
Carlo Mancasola
Ryan
Nicholas Anthony Reid
Keith
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT:
Samuel D. Hunter grew up in Moscow, Idaho and lives in New York City.
In 2026, Hunter received his first nomination for the Tony Award for Best Play for Little Bear Ridge Road, which ran on Broadway in 2025 starring Laurie Metcalf. His full-length plays include The Whale (Drama Desk Award, Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play, GLAAD Media Award, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle nominations for Best Play), A Case for the Existence of God (New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play, Hull-Warriner Award), A Bright New Boise (Obie Award, Drama Desk nomination for Best Play), Greater Clements (Drama Desk nomination for Best Play, Outer Critics Circle Honoree), Lewiston/Clarkston (Drama Desk nomination for Best Play), The Few, A Great Wilderness, Rest, Pocatello, The Healing, and The Harvest, among others.
The film version of The Whale, directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Brendan Fraser, was nominated for the 2023 BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and received two Oscars, including Best Actor. He was also a writer and producer on all four seasons of FX’s Baskets.
He is the recipient of a 2014 MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship, a 2012 Whiting Writers Award and an honorary doctorate from the University of Idaho. He holds degrees in playwriting from NYU, The Iowa Playwrights Workshop, and Juilliard.