Meet the Cartozians

Meet the Cartozians
2025 Off-Broadway production poster
Original languageEnglish
Written byTalene Monahon
GenreComedy
Premiere
DateOctober 29, 2025
PlaceSecond Stage Theatre

Meet the Cartozians is a comedic 2025 play by Talene Monahon. The play premiered off-Broadway at the Irene Diamond Stage at Pershing Square Signature Center in October 2025, directed by David Cromer.[1] The play deals with themes of racial and cultural identity in America, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.[2]

The play is loosely based on a real court case decided in 1925 when the Armenian man Tartos Cartozian had his U.S. citizenship revoked. In the first act, set in the 1920s, an Armenian American man fights to be legally recognized. In the second act, set a century later, his descendant works to develop and keep a public persona.[3]

Plot

Act 1

In 1923, the Cartozian family meet with their Irish lawyer Wallace McCamant regarding their upcoming case before the Supreme Court. The Armenian-born Tatos Cartozian, an Oriental rug merchant living in Portland, Oregon, has lost his newly acquired citizenship due to the legal uncertainty of whether to classify Armenia as part of Europe, Asia, or the Middle East. McCamant presents the argument that they should be considered white by virtue of the word "Caucasian" referring to the Caucasus Mountains, which were originally part of Armenia. The recent events of the Armenian genocide weigh heavily on the family, who were forced to move to America as a result. McCamant argues they can win their case by hiding any aspects of their culture that would jeopardize their claim to being white, which leads to tensions among the family due to their varying skin tones and ability to grasp the English language.

Act 2

In July 2024, a group of four Armenian-Americans gather to be interviewed in the Christmas episode of a reality television series called Meet the Cartozians (a parody of Keeping Up with the Kardashians). The plan is for them to meet "the celebrity" (parodying Kim Kardashian), a well-known reality star who is distantly related to Tatos Cartozian, on camera. While waiting for her arrival, the group and their cameraman discuss their differing relationships to their heritage, as well as whether they consider themselves white or not as a result of the 1924 United States v. Cartozian, which Tatos won and was declared white. The group's differing experiences of racism soon leads to a full-blown argument over the topic, eventually leading the cameraman to cancel the production of the episode entirely.

After most of the group has departed, "the celebrity" arrives on set to find the only remaining guest, Robert (played by the same actor as Tatos), eating some kadayif another guest had prepared. The two share the dessert while commiserating over their struggle to connect with their heritage, and the lingering trauma of displacement.

Productions

Off-Broadway (2025)

Meet the Cartozians, produced by Second Stage Theater, premiered off-Broadway when it started previews on 29 October 2025. The production opened on 17 November 2025 and later extended through 14 December 2025. The cast included Raffi Barsoumian, Will Brill, Andrea Martin, Nael Nacer, Susan Pourfar, and Tamara Sevunts.[4] The production received critical acclaim, with The New York Times calling it "captivating"[5] and TheatreMania praising it as "genuinely great."[6]

The show was nominated for three Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Play,[7] two Outer Critics Circle Awards, winning for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play,[8] and was a finalist for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.[9]

Berkeley Repertory Theatre & Huntington Theatre Company (2027)

In April 2026, Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Huntington Theatre Company announced that they will co-produce the Boston and West Coast premieres of the play in 2027.[10][11]

Awards and nominations

Off-Broadway (2025)

Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref.
2026 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Play Nominated [12]
Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play Tatiana Kahvegian Nominated
Outstanding Costume Design of a Play Enver Chakartash Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play Won [13]
Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play Andrea Martin Nominated
Pulitzer Prize for Drama Nominated [14]

References

  1. ↑ Hall, Margaret (June 3, 2025). "Jordan Harrison's Marjorie Prime Will Make Broadway Debut During Second Stage Theater Season". Playbill. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  2. ↑ Paulson, Michael (May 4, 2026). "'Liberation,' a Memory Play About '70s Feminism, Wins Drama Pulitzer". The New York Times. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  3. ↑ Ramírez, Juan (November 18, 2025). "'Meet the Cartozians' Review: Who Gets to Be White in America?". The New York Times. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  4. ↑ Hall, Margaret (November 24, 2025). "Meet the Cartozians Extends Off-Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  5. ↑ Ramírez, Juan A. (November 18, 2025). "'Meet the Cartozians' Review: Who Gets to Be White in America?". The New York Times. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  6. ↑ Gordon, David (November 18, 2025). "Review: Meet the Cartozians, Not the Kardashians". TheaterMania. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  7. ↑ Gans, Andrew (May 17, 2026). "Ragtime Leads 2026 Drama Desk Awards; Read the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Schmigadoon!, Ragtime Win Big at 2026 Outer Critics Circle Awards; Read the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  9. ↑ Hall, Margaret (May 4, 2026). "LIBERATION Wins 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Drama". Playbill. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  10. ↑ "THE HUNTINGTON ANNOUNCES 2026/27 SEASON – THRILLING NEW MUSICAL BY PASEK, TAUB, AND HARMON; AARON SORKIN'S MOCKINGBIRD; THE UFOT FAMILY CYCLE FINALE; AND MORE". The Huntington. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  11. ↑ "BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE ANNOUNCES 2026/27 SEVEN-SHOW SUBSCRIPTION SEASON" (PDF). Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  12. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan (May 18, 2026). "Ragtime Leads 2026 Drama Desk Awards; Read the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  13. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan (May 11, 2026). "Schmigadoon!, Ragtime Win Big at 2026 Outer Critics Circle Awards; Read the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  14. ↑ Hall, Margaret (May 4, 2026). "LIBERATION Wins 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Drama". Playbill. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
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