Friday, May 1, 2026 at 8:00 PM
UCLA Nimoy Theater, Los Angeles
**Ain Gordon “haunts the margins of history…conjuring the sort of distant lives that don’t make it into textbooks, processed into oblivion by what he calls history’s ‘ruthless editing machine.” — *****The New York Times*** *Relics and Their Humans* marks the second collaboration between writer, director, and performer Ain Gordon and composer, writer, and performer Josh Quillen. Their first project, *Radicals in Miniature *— which premiered at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in 2017 — was a *New York Times* Critic’s Pick. This new work is a theatrical and musical journey to Quillen’s hometown of Dover, Ohio, tracing his family’s three-year odyssey following his father’s ALS diagnosis in 2006. Three powerful relics anchor the piece: a recorded interview with Quillen’s mother, his father’s journal, and a surprising playlist. Through Gordon and Quillen’s spirited performances, Talvin Wilks’s inventive dramaturgy, and Jennifer Tipton’s evocative lighting, these personal artifacts are transformed into a deeply moving experience that lingers long after the final scene. Support provided by Olga Garay-English. ***Relics and Their Humans*** **Ain Gordon** and **Josh Quillen** Directed by **Ain Gordon** a **Pick Up Performance Co**. production Dramaturg **Talvin Wilks** Lighting Designer **Jennifer Tipton** Production Stage Manager **Ed Fitzgerald** Associate Lighting Designer **Krista Smith** Producer **Alyce Dissette** Represented by **Deirdre Valente, LBMI** For JQ, SG, DG, VSG, SGF, GP, RL ***Relics and Their Humans*** was made possible with development residencies at the Abrons Arts Center, Arizona Arts Live, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Wexner Center for the Arts, a development grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts National Theatre Project, and a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grant for performances at La MaMa ETC June 2024. First performed at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, October 14, 2023.