The protagonists of Scene One's upcoming mature audiences-only production are looking for a sense of identity, acceptance and love - their own sense of normality.
"Looking for Normal" director Matt Connor said the play addresses complex, contemporary personal, familial and societal issues.
"If you have ever thought that theater is something boring or something your grandmother does, you need to get to Scene One and see 'Looking for Normal' because you are going to find out that it is thought provoking and edgy and just plain enjoyable," Connor said.
The play runs 7 p.m. Nov. 9-11, Nov. 15 and Nov. 17-18 at Scene One Theatre, 619 E. Capitol Ave. in Jefferson City.
The show opens with a married Midwestern couple of 25 years, Roy and Irma, seeking marriage counseling from their preacher. The husband suffers from severe migraines, and the wife fears it is a symptom of an unspoken problem. The lifelong secret revealed by the husband, played by Keith Enloe, forever changes the lives of the entire family.
Connor said the revelation drastically impacts everyone in the family, from his dedicated wife, played by Gina Connor, to their two children, played by Katherine Moore and Gage McAllister. The rest of the play involves how the family responds to the dramatic disclosure and the decision Roy ultimately makes to find his own sense of normal.
"I will say that the husband is fortunate really to have fairly universal support from those around him in what he is going through," Connor said.
"Looking for Normal" was written by Jane Anderson, an actor, writer and director whose plays have earned multiple recognitions, including the Ovation Award for Best New Play, L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award, Peabody Award, Emmy Awards nominations, Golden Globe nominations, and Director's Guild and Writer's Guild nominations.
The two-hour, nine-member cast play spans two acts and 32 short scenes, some of which are brief, one-person vignettes intimately directed to the audience.
"The great thing about this cast, besides their great talent - I'm so stoked by the level of talent I'm seeing on stage here - is that it's a mix of veterans and newcomers to the (drama) genre," Connor said.
This will be McAllister's first non-musical theatrical production. "This is the first time he's had to memorize lines for a show," Connor said. "He was in 'Evil Dead' learning the lyrics to the songs, and he is also a writer doing slam poetry, but this is someone else's words, so it's a little different."