God’s Work (2006)

APTP began developing this “brilliant view of resilience versus cruelty” (Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times) in 2004 and first brought it to the stage in 2006. Artistic Director David Feiner considers that first production of God’s Work a defining moment for APTP: “When we originally premiered God’s Work in 2006, it felt like both the culmination of years spent developing a more refined aesthetic at APTP, and like the ushering in of a new era of increasingly sophisticated performance that seamlessly integrated high stakes storytelling, stunning visuals, gorgeous movement, and original music.” APTP returned to God’s Work in 2014, creating an all-new production that performed at the Goodman Theatre (view the 2014 production here).

Here’s how we promoted the original production in 2006:

A play about one girl, her ten brothers and sisters, her four parents, and her two different lives.

A play about reciting from the Bible and rocking in the basement, coming forth and confessing sins and killing bees and keeping the list, the sound of peeling potatoes and the weight of perpetual pregnancy, the taste of forbidden cupcakes and the sparkle of magical lint, walking first steps and washing away filth.

A play about the families we construct in place of the ones we’re born into.

A play about how our capacity for imagination and resilience is truly evidence of God’s Work.