At surface glance, people seem more connected than ever in the information age, from social media networks to the myriad pathways for instant communication. But, those threads look barer than ever deeper down on a human-to-human level, where it really counts. Where it could really help.

New Stage Theatre’s newest production, “Primary Trust,” opening Tuesday for a two-week run through March 1, taps the core of the country’s epidemic of loneliness in a simple, elegantly touching way.

Playwright Eboni Booth was awarded the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for “Primary Trust,” the intimate story of a man whose isolated, small-town life, cemented in routine for nearly two decades, is suddenly disrupted by change. The courage that Kenneth, 38, musters to reach out, and the big impact that even small steps and kind gestures make in his world, resonate in a moving work that vividly illustrates the power in human connection.

“‘Primary Trust’ is the second-most produced play in the country right now, so this is the play for such a time as this,” Director Sharon Miles said. “This play specifically addresses the idea of building a life that is secluded and isolated and being comfortable in that. And then, there’s a shift that happens in his world, and it’s shaken up. What do you do? How do you pivot? How do you respond?

“But it also is a play that reminds us that we need connection, we need community, because we all want to be seen,” Miles added. “We all need human connection. That’s really what the heart of the play is.”

Kenneth is a bit odd, but functions well enough in his quiet and simple, highly circumscribed life. He works at a bookstore and frequents his favorite restaurant, Wally’s Tiki Bar, for mai tais with his best friend. “Primary Trust” is his own story of a job loss and brave steps that open up his world to friendship and new possibilities. The story is handled gently, with heartbreaking revelations but also humor and glimmers of hope for the richer life within his grasp. 

A small, tight cast of five (two, playing multiple characters) bring the story to life onstage. Chicago actor Kevin Aoussou, who plays Kenneth, recalled his tears when he read the script for a Chicago audition last year, and in the theater when he went to see it.

“Then when we do it here, those same exact moments, I’m crying again and again,” Aoussou said, shaking his head with a chuckle. Kenneth’s words about his mother, about how she is his everything, echo deeply with him. “That is the thing that pulls on my heart every single time I do this play. … That’s the thing that draws me to him.”

Herman J.R. Johnson of Terry, portraying Kenneth’s best friend, Bert, finds compelling resonance in the careful life Kenneth builds. “For someone who is struggling in life and still manages to grasp onto people that are patient with him and mean well, and let him be himself – I think that means a lot.”

The “Primary Trust” cast also includes: Alicia Thomas of New York, playfully dubbed “shape shifter” by Miles for her versatility as Corinna and 28 others, including multiple members of Wally’s waitstaff; New Stage veteran John Howell in several roles, including Kenneth’s bookstore boss, Sam; and Jackson musician Andrew Dillon as the Musician.

Howell finds the play a good fit for this theater, and others now. People need comfort and connection as various crises and other forces threaten to pull us apart, he said. “This is a good play to get us grounded.”  

Dillon dons a Hawaiian shirt as the piano player at Wally’s Tiki Bar, and he also supplies original music throughout to set the tone and express Kenneth’s experience. “I’m kind of like his emotional support musician,” Dillon said.

They inhabit a set resembling a tiny neighborhood, where characters loom larger than the buildings in their midst. “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” sprang to mind when Miles read the play.

“‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ makes it all of our neighborhood,” she said. “It makes it all of our hometown. All of the things he goes through, and how he deals with them, with loss and love and friendship, it just makes it more universal.”

New Stage Theatre partners with NAMI Mississippi (National Alliance on Mental Illness) during the show’s run, with resources in the lobby for more information on the grassroots organization and on mental health. NAMI Mississippi Program Director Savanah Hicks saw parallels in their “Hearts and Minds” presentation, which touches on social interaction. 

“Humans are wired for that connection. We need it,” Hicks said. “And then, once we get that connection, it also gives us something else essential, which is a different perspective. … We need that different perspective, for us to be able to see things clearly.”

New Stage will also host Tiki Bar Bingo during the run of “Primary Trust.” The activity starts a half-hour prior to each performance, sparking interactions with fun questions and a prize of 2026-27 season tickets at stake.

“The whole point is, interact with another human, meet a friend, be brave,” Miles said. “That’s Kenneth’s story. That’s our story. I feel like that’s what this play is asking. Also what this moment is asking. Meet someone. See someone. Build your community.

“It just feels like the moment to do this play is now.”

“Primary Trust“ performance times are 7 p.m. Feb. 17-21, 24 and 26-28, and 2 p.m. Feb. 22 and March 1. For tickets, $35 adults and $30 seniors/students/military, visit newstagetheatre.com or call 601-948-3533 ext. 223.