Anna Ziegler’s A Delicate Ship explores the emotional earthquakes that occur when the adult version of a person is faced with their childhood self. Presented by HappySad Theatre Company at Center Stage, the show follows a young couple, Sarah and Sam, who spend an unexpected evening with Sarah’s childhood bestie (who harbors a crush).
Director and company founder Robert Rodarte says the play deals with how memories can be inaccurate and rebuilt within the mind, leaving a person’s emotional development dependent on distorted or partial reality. “The fact that our lives can change from a single experience has always been fascinating to me,” he says, “and that is exactly what A Delicate Ship explores.”
In the play, Sarah (Riley Rodarte) is mourning the death of her father. She’s also in a relatively new relationship with Sam (Brayden Myrick), making the co-navigation of trauma clumsy and uncharted. When Nate (Lior Selve) shows up at Sarah’s door, the comfort and nostalgia of the past clashes with the excitement of working toward a potential future. The general approach, says Rodarte, is to highlight connections — especially those things that people hold back from each other.
This is HappySad Theatre Company’s second show at Center Stage Theatre after debuting last winter with a compelling production of The Effect. “The characters break the fourth wall in this play,” says Rodarte, “and I think this show can really shine in the intimate setting Center Stage provides.”
A Delicate Ship runs June 12–14. bit.ly/3PRdiSv