APRIL 11-19, 2026
No Body Cares:
Americas Favorite Healthcare System
A Darkly Comic Solo Show Where Even Death Can’t Afford to Die
Performed by Michael F. Toomey
Performed by Michael F. Toomey
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When Death gets injured on the job, he’s forced to navigate the American healthcare system — a place more confusing, more bureaucratic, and somehow more terrifying than the afterlife itself.
Through clown, satire, and physical absurdity, No Body Cares turns a broken system into a live negotiation with the audience: who pays, who decides, and who gets to survive. This production launches The Humanist Project’s first-ever season, The Professional Idiot Season — a celebration of risk, failure, and the absurdity of being human. Performed by artistic director, Michael F. Toomey |
Michael F. Toomey in the creation process for No Body Cares
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In No Body Cares, audiences are transported to a world where even Death can’t afford to die. After a near-fatal horse accident, Death finds themselves trapped in the endless, surreal maze of the American healthcare system— facing insurance forms, hold music, and bureaucratic indifference. What follows is a biting yet playful exploration of mortality, capitalism, and the strange ways we navigate systems meant to care for us. Blending satire, physical comedy, clown, and theatrical storytelling, No Body Cares invites audiences to laugh at the absurdities of modern life while reflecting on the deeply human questions beneath them.
The piece was devised with the creative collaboration of Mia Alexandra, Jon-Mykul Bowen, and Fernando Zermeno Garavito, with production stage management by Meg Meschino.
The piece was devised with the creative collaboration of Mia Alexandra, Jon-Mykul Bowen, and Fernando Zermeno Garavito, with production stage management by Meg Meschino.
The Professional Idiot SeasonThis production is part of The Humanist Project’s first-ever season: The Professional Idiot Season — a bold leap into playful, fearless, human theatre.
Marking an exciting new chapter for the company, the season brings together two brand-new original works from our award-winning ensemble, alongside a season-long play-reading series. Together, they reflect our continued commitment to devised performance, collaboration, and the creation of new work. As the first production in this inaugural season, this piece sets the tone: irreverent, physical, and deeply human. If you’d like to support the artists and help us keep making strange, heartfelt new work, you can do so here. |
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Artistic Director & Performer
Michael F. Toomey (He/Him)
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Michael F. Toomey is a neurodivergent director, performer, and educator whose work reimagines actor training through the lens of play, movement, and a deep commitment to neurodivergent access.
He is the Artistic Director of The Humanist Project, a Brooklyn-based company creating bold, physically driven theater that fuses irreverent comedy with deep human inquiry. For nearly 30 years, Michael has acted, directed, and taught Shakespeare, working closely with Tina Packer and Kevin Coleman at the internationally renowned Shakespeare & Company, where he helped shape generations of actors through text, movement, and play. Holding an MFA in Lecoq-based theater, Toomey has taught and directed internationally, specializing in clown, buffoon, devising, and physical performance. His work blends rigorous craft with radical joy—offering actors tools to unlock presence, vulnerability, and complicity with their audiences. Trained by master teachers Philippe Gaulier and Giovanni Fusetti, Michael’s artistic lineage bridges classic and contemporary approaches. As a deviser and ensemble leader, he’s brought original work from intimate workshop spaces to major stages and international festivals. Whether developing original works like MAD MAD MAD and A Crucible, consulting with institutions, or leading transformative workshops, Michael’s goal is to recenter play in performance. |
Creative Collaborators
(Click Headshots For Bio)
Mia Alexandra (She/Her)
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Fernando Zermeno Garavito (He/They)
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Jon-Mykul Bowen (He/Him)
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Meg Meschino (She/Her)
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