This is the second time I’ve directed Lee Blessing’s Two Rooms. The first time was in 2008 with Black Box Fire as part of the company’s Emerging Artists Series. I never thought I would direct the piece again. But I’ve always loved the script and thought it would be a great fit for Same Boat Theatre. It deals with a political situation but in a way that addresses the human side of the situation, as well.

Jaclyn Scobie and Rakhee Sapra in Two Rooms (2008, Black Box Fire)

Lee Blessing wrote Two Rooms in 1988 and Blessing himself said he hoped the play wouldn’t be as relevant in 20 years, but unfortunately it is… very much so. Two Rooms is the story of Michael, an American educator, who is taken hostage in Beirut. Lainie, his wife, is at home in the US. She has cleared out his study to resemble the room in which he is being held. This room creates a door for Lainie and Michael as well as for the audience to engage with the story on a human and emotional level. And that is what continues to draw me back to this story.

Alexa Holbrook and Jaclyn Scobie in Two Rooms (2008, Black Box Fire)

When I first directed this show eight years ago, I didn’t have the life experience to see it as I do now. And in another eight years, I’m sure I could look back and say the same thing. I have noticed through the process so far, that I have a different, and better, understanding of what Lainie and Michael must feel being torn apart. I’m currently engaged and that has allowed me to approach this process with more empathy. I can more clearly see how devastating this story is, and why someone would cling to what little they have of their lost partner.

Aaron Joel Craig and Jaclyn Scobie in Two Rooms (2016, Same Boat Theatre)

I suppose Two Rooms is a story I still want to tell, and a story I want to hear. Perhaps directing the show a second time is a little like listening to a cover of a song you love, though in this case I don’t think there’s an original version and I’m not concerned about comparing the two.

~Lauren Repei