HYMN
April 30 – June 14
written by: Lolita Chakrabarti
Directed by: Gregg T. Daniel**
Two strangers from very different neighborhoods meet at a funeral.
Gil knew the deceased. Benny did not.
Benny is a loner anchored by his wife and children. Gil longs to fulfill his potential. They form a deep bond but as cracks appear in their fragile lives, they start to realize that true courage comes in different forms.
R&B rhythms and gospel, boxing and rounds of scotch, uncover shared histories and hidden wounds in Hymn, directed by L.A. award-winner Gregg T. Daniel, in a much-anticipated co-production with the Odyssey Theatre and the Lower Depth Theatre. This soulful play takes a look at love, faith and friendship and asks “what does it take to be a good father, brother or son.” Written by celebrated playwright Lolita Chakrabarti, best know for her stage adaptation of the novel Life of Pi and Hamnet.
Running April 30 – June 14
Previews: April 30 & May 1 $23 (includes fees)
Full Schedule:
Wednesday — Friday (preview), April 30 and May 1 at 8pm
Wednesday May 27 at 8pm
Friday May 8, 15, 22, 29; June 5, 12 at 8pm
Saturday May 2 (opening), 9, 16, 23, 30; June 6, 13 at 8pm
Sunday May 3, 10, 17, 24; June 7, 14 at 3pm
Post Show Talkback Wednesday, May 27 at 8pm
Run time is 100 minutes.
Tickets:
General Admission $35
Seniors $30
Students $20
(A $3 fee will be added when purchasing with a credit card)
AFTER THE HYMN
The curtain falls. The conversation begins.
Lower Depth Theatre and the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble invite you to go deeper. After the Hymn is a curated series of post-show conversations in conjunction with the Los Angeles premiere of Hymn by Lolita Chakrabarti. On four nights in May and June—beginning with Blackout Night and continuing with three post-show conversations—audiences are invited to stay after the performance for community, dialogue, and a light reception with wine and bites in the lobby.
Each conversation explores a different dimension of the production—from the bonds between fathers and sons, to the power of music across the African Diaspora, to the craft and vulnerability of the artists who bring this story to life. Come for the play. Stay for the conversation.
LEARN MORE BELOW…
cast
Jason Delane*
Chuma Gault*
PRODUCTION
Written by Lolita Chakrabarti
Directed by Gregg T. Daniel
Set Design Stephanie Kerley Schwartz
Lighting Designer Donny Jackson
Costume Designer Wendell C. Carmichael
Sound Designer Alma Reyes-Thomas
Choreographer Toran X. Moore
Dialect Coach Paul Wagar
Stage Manager Jenny Nwene
Producer for the Odyssey Sally Essex-Lopresti
Artistic Director for Lower Depth Theatre Gregg T. Daniel
Producer for Lower Depth Theatre Drina Durazo
**The Director is a Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.
*Appearing Courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
about the playwright
Lolita Chakrabarti
Lolita Chakrabarti is an award-winning playwright and actress. Her debut play, Red Velvet, won several awards including The Critics’ Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright 2013 and an Olivier Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre. Chakrabarti’s adaptation of Life of Pi, premiered at the Crucible Theatre in 2019. It was nominated for 9 Olivier Awards, winning 5 including Best New Play. Four years later, it opened on Broadway, garnering 3 Tony Awards in 2023. Her adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s award-winning novel, Hamnet, opened at the RSC in 2023 and transferred to London’s West End.. Hamnet will tour the US in 2026. Her play, Hymn, set in London, opened at the Almeida during the pandemic and was live streamed internationally, returning for a live run in the summer of 2021. In 2025 Hymn had a new production at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre which Lolita rewrote to be set in Chicago.
gallery
AFTER THE HYMN
The curtain falls. The conversation begins.
Lower Depth Theatre and the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble invite you to go deeper. After the Hymn is a curated series of post-show conversations in conjunction with the Los Angeles premiere of Hymn by Lolita Chakrabarti. On four nights in May and June—beginning with Blackout Night and continuing with three post-show conversations—audiences are invited to stay after the performance for community, dialogue, and a light reception with wine and bites in the lobby.
Each conversation explores a different dimension of the production—from the bonds between fathers and sons, to the power of music across the African Diaspora, to the craft and vulnerability of the artists who bring this story to life. Come for the play. Stay for the conversation.
Blackout Night
Friday, May 15, 2026 | 8:00 PM
Blackout Night is a purposeful, exciting creation of an environment in which an audience, self-identifying as Black, can come together and experience a performance in community. A reception will follow the performance, providing an opportunity for the audience to discuss their experience and socialize.
Hymn is a story steeped in the rhythms of Black life—R&B, gospel, Motown, hip-hop—and in the unspoken bonds between Black men. Blackout Night creates the space to receive this story fully, surrounded by community, free from explanation. Just the work. Just us.
After the Hymn: Fathers and Sons
Sunday, May 17, 2026 | Following the 3:00 PM matinee
Moderated by Dr. Donald E. Grant Jr. | Executive Coach & Strategist, Mindful Training Solutions, LLC
Whether your father was present, distant, or someone you only imagined—what did you inherit that no one ever talked about?
Hymn asks what it takes to be a father, brother, or son. In this conversation, members of the cast and creative team explore how their own relationships with fathers and sons shaped the world of the production. This is a conversation about legacy, expectation, Black Joy, and the things we inherit that no one talks about.
Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, no intermission. Stay after the show for a 25–30 minute moderated discussion, followed by a light reception with wine and bites in the lobby.
After the Hymn: Inside the Room
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 | Following the 8:00 PM performance
Moderated by Sally Essex-Lopresti | Literary Manager & Casting Director, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble
What does it take to build a bond this intimate on stage?
The actors and director who bring Gil and Benny to life pull back the curtain on the rehearsal process, the creative choices that shaped the production, and the discoveries that only happen inside the room. How do personal histories find their way into performance? What surprised them most about this story? And what does it feel like to perform Hymn in front of a live audience, night after night?
Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, no intermission. A rare midweek conversation with the artists at the heart of the production. Stay after the show for a 25–30 minute moderated discussion, followed by a light reception with wine and bites in the lobby.
After the Hymn: Exploring the Music of Hymn
Sunday, June 7, 2026 | Following the 3:00 PM matinee
L. Trey Williams
R&B, gospel, Motown, hip-hop—the music in Hymn is more than a soundtrack. It’s a language.
From the first notes of a half-remembered song to the full-throated joy of two men dancing to old records, music is the bridge that connects Gil and Benny—and the force that carries the audience with them. This conversation explores the role of music as a carrier of memory, a bridge between strangers, and a source of cultural power across the African Diaspora. Cast members, the sound designer, and the director share which songs resonate most and what these rhythms hold for the artists who perform and design them—and what they unlock for all of us.
Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, no intermission. Stay after the show for a 25–30 minute moderated discussion, followed by a light reception with wine and bites in the lobby.