Rebecca Craven, Susan Hardie and Tom Sanderson were in the KPBX studio this morning to chat with E.J. Iannelli and give listeners a preview of I Thought I Knew You. The new play by Philip J. Kaplan opened last week at Stage Left Theater.
This production of I Thought I Knew You is a world premiere. Stage Left was one of the six theaters in the United States selected to produce one of the American Association of Community Theatre's (AACT) best new plays in the nation as part of the AACT New Play Fest.
Hardie, who is directing I Thought I Knew You, talked about the selection process and how they arrived at this work. She also gave some insight into the resources that AACT provided, including a multi-day in-person workshop with the playwright himself and a professional dramaturg.
Sanderson and Craven together performed a scene from the opening of I Thought I Knew You, which provided a starting point to discuss the plot and their characters.
Craven is playing Amanda, a mother of two; Sanderson is playing Leo, her husband. Onstage those characters are joined by their daughter Jen (played by Abby Burlingame) and their son Cody (Barin Saxton).
The play deals with the family's individual and collective response to Cody committing an act of domestic terror. As Hardie explained, it was inspired by real-life news accounts.
I Thought I Knew You opened on March 22 at Stage Left Theater and is running there until April 7. For tickets or more information, visit the theater's website or call the box office on (509) 838-9727.