At Nerdist, we’ve been heading to the theater more and more of late. And one of the shows that particularly caught our eye—and our fannish instincts—was an off-Broadway immersive theater performance called Life and Trust. The experience combined the best of LARPing, video games, theater, dance, and narrative in a retelling of the Faust myth, which was intertwined with The Portrait of Dorian Gray and set in the Gilded Age. We were even actively planning to write what would have been a five-star review for the performance, but sadly, that will now have to be a retrospective instead. On April 20, Easter Sunday, the doors to Life and Trust were shut without warning or explanation, with an email telling its fans, but most importantly its staff, that “the theatrical run of Life and Trust officially came to an end last night.” The closure left those employed by the performance suddenly without work. Sadly, this is a story also all too familiar when it comes to meaningful, queer, and creative work in our current landscape. But if this tale sounds like a tragedy to you, there are ways you can help author it a better ending.
In the creative and fannish world, the sounds of the recent Hollywood Writers, Actors, and other strikes still echo loudly. We saw during those times just how hard it is for even the most famous performers to get appropriate respect and recompense for their hard, necessary work. But many creating art don’t even have the luxury of a union to fight for them in times of need. And art is the soul of our society, staving away the bleakness and giving us a language to wrestle with ideas larger than ourselves.
Jane Kratochvil
But community is the soul of art. And, so, to offset callous closures and tough cancellations, there is the hope and coming together of those touched by something beyond the vision of financial success. In response to a massive outpouring of support from Life and Trust‘s fans, the show’s company has created an official GoFundMe, which you can donate to in order to aid the cast and others involved in the shuttered performance.
Life and Trust staffed a massive array of highly talented, non-union theatremakers. And the show had been slated to run through May. Despite giving their blood, sweat, tears, and most importantly, deep, deep love to the show, the GoFundMe reports that no assistance was offered to the staff after the sudden firing. And yet, rent still needs to be paid.
Jane Kratochvil
The Life and Trust GoFund Me shares, “On Sunday, April 20, 2025, the immersive production Life and Trust came to a sudden and heartbreaking close, with no warning, no severance, and no safety net for the people who built the world night after night. The fund was created by and for the entire Life and Trust company: performers, stage managers, crew, GAs, and everyone behind the curtain who poured their souls into making it real.” It additionally notes that the money goes to company members who lost their income, are experiencing financial hardship, and need short-term support to stay afloat while seeking new work.
Many of those reading this probably never got to see Life and Trust. And that is a TRUE shame in a way I cannot quite articulate (although, check back for the retrospective.) But if you’ve ever loved a work of art of any kind, then imagine that love, and consider that a donation to this GoFundMe is a donation toward helping to ensure that feeling continues to exist and thrive in a cold world warmed by passion and creation. You can check out some incredible snippets from the performance above and below.
Life And Trust was written by Jon Ronson and directed by Teddy Bergman, with experience direction and scenic design from Gabriel Hainer Evansohn. Jeff Kuperman and Rick Kuperman co-directed and choreographed the production.
Stephanie Crousillat
Life and Trust was a unique production that saw changing roles for performers every night and featured many more “leading” cast members than a usual performance. Those involved, per Playbill, include Bria Bacon, Tony Bordonaro, Sophie Bortolussi, Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Marc J Cardarelli, Aaron Dalla Villa, Tiffany Violet De Alba, Charles-Alexis Desgagnés, Mia DiLena, Brendan Duggan, Zachary Eisenstat, Raymond Ejiofor, Kim Fischer, Jennifer Florentino, Reshma Gajjar, Douglas J Gillespie, Annie Grove, Alonso Guzman, Dorchel Haqq, Casey Bronwyn Howes, Karl Kenzler, Majella Bess Loughran, Jodi McFadden, Nando Morland, Parker Murphy, Kevin M Pajarillaga, Marla Phelan, Randolph Curtis Rand, Luca Renzi, Gabriella Sibeko, Tori Sparks, Brandin Steffensen, Derek Tabada, Tony Torn, Mike Tyus, Robert Vail, Ryan VanCompernolle, Jacob Michael Warren, Maleek M Washington, and Madeline Wright.
This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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