YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Youngstown Playhouse will open its 101st season Friday with “People, Places & Things,” an intense adult drama about addiction.
Director Chris Fidram said the drama centers around Emma, an actress who checks into a rehab facility but has no intention of changing.
“Emma believes she’s got the whole situation figured out,” Fidram said. “She is a chameleon. She’ll tell the staff what they want to hear, get her certificate and leave rehab no better off than she was before.”
Emma believes that it’s the world that has the problem – not her. Drugs and alcohol are simply her way of coping with it.
However, she soon realizes that the staff already has her figured out.
Brandy Johanntges plays Emma.
The cast also includes Rob Whiting, Richard Smiley, Steven Fraley, Molly Galano, Becky McConnell, Rachel Franek, Peter Sherman, Lisa Torrence, Eric McCrea, Trish Terlesky, Maria Ceraolo, Donovan Rubante, Amy Banks, Rachel Clifford and Lindie Schwarten.
The play was written by Duncan MacMillan. It is unsuitable for children, and parents are strongly cautioned.
The writing is brilliant, Fidram said.
“These characters feel real,” he said. “They exist in our families and social circles. And perhaps maybe they’re us.”
Fidram said addiction can creep into anyone’s life.
He has noticed himself and others disconnecting from the world because of exhaustion with it. “For many of us, life became about enduring the nonsense however we could,” he said. “And this is exactly how unhealthy habits begin. We begin to sleep too much, self-isolate and hide from the pressures causing such distress.”
These coping mechanisms can turn anybody into a person they never intended to become. “We share more in common with Emma than we realize,” Fidram said.
Switching to healthy ways of dealing with life is something everyone must learn. “That’s what I think this play is really about,” he said.
The play gives a peek into the mind of an addict.
“We all have the capacity to indulge in addictive behaviors,” Fidram said. “Like Emma, we consider ourselves intelligent and clever, and these qualities make us experts at ‘hiding’ our addictions.”
It also examines the toll addiction takes on loved ones who have been lied to and manipulated by the addict.
Despite its subject matter, “People, Places & Things” is not morose.
“It has an incredible energy about it,” Fidram said. “The lighting, sound design and set sometimes change at breakneck speed. It’s exciting to watch.”
Another unexpected aspect is that it has funny moments.
“It’s a way of storytelling that is constantly surprising, because we’re not always sure if what we’re watching is Emma’s reality or our own.”
Performances will take place in the Moyer Room at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 15-16 and 11-24, and 2:30 p.m. Aug. 17 and 25. Tickets are $21 and available in advance at ExperienceYourArts.org.
Pictured at top: Brandy Johanntges and Molly Galano in a scene from “People, Places & Things.”