Stage Left: bridging the divide

Lake Geneva is the original setting for American playwright Lee Blessing’s acclaimed story about politics and a path to crossing a cultural and ideological divide.

True to fashion, Island Stage Left is putting its own twist on Blessing’s Pulitzer and Tony Award-nominated play, “A Walk in the Woods”, and bringing it home to San Juan Island. The show opens Nov. 9, with a Friday evening performance, at Roche Harbor Resort Pavilion.

Known both for its tension and its humor, Blessing’s “A Walk in the Woods” traces a seemingly unlikely but budding friendship between a young American diplomat and a veteran, and more cynical, Soviet counterpart, as the two face off in negotiations over nuclear arms. As their talks progress, the political becomes personal, and public becomes private, as the two diplomats find more similarities than differences, in spite of an obvious cultural divide, once they leave the negotiating table for a stool in the woods surrounding Lake Geneva.

Stage Left director Helen Machin-Smith describes Blessing’s play, penned in 1988, as “intriguing and strikingly original.”

The month-long production, staged in the round, features veteran Stage Left actors Daniel Mayes and Krista Strutz in the leading roles. Performance schedule:

Fridays, 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sundays 4 p.m. All performances are at the Pavilion at Roche Harbor Resort and the play runs through Dec. 9. For info; 378 5649, www.islandstageleft.org, stageleft@centurytel.net.

 

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.