The comedy The Secret Son of Hitler began as a joke between friends that was fleshed out into a complete script by Elise Hanson in 2018 with additional jokes by Justin Bradley. The shortened version was performed at The Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival in 2018 and won “Best of FF” (essentially, best of the PG-13 category), as voted by the audience. The goal was always to expand the original play, as audiences and actors were champing at the bit for more. In 2020, Hanson began work on the script again, scrapping dated jokes about a certain orange politician (because who cares about him anymore anyway?), and transforming the one-act play into a full length production. All but two of the entire original cast is returning to reprise their roles, all the actors having fallen in love with this quirky, electrifying little title hook, line, and sinker.

The play is an absurdist piece that dallies in satire, farce, and lampoonery. The main conceit—the titular “secret son”—serves as a device whereby to playfully and jocularly examine American hypocrisy, the sins of our fathers, and whether or not mayonnaise is the ambrosia of the gods or a jiggly, ghoulish thing best left at the back of the fridge.

Kallisti Theatre Company was established in 2017 at The Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival with Elise Hanson's original romantic surrealist drama Float. Since then, Kallisti has consistently garnered awards recognition for producing local plays and remaining accessible to actors who view theater as their passion.