Previews: A STEADY RAIN at TheatreFor

On stage November 6–22 at TheatreFor in Clearwater, A Steady Rain by Keith Huff brings audiences into the fractured world of two lifelong friends whose careers as Chicago police officers place them on acollision course with loyalty, betrayal, justice, and truth. Directed by Mike Cote and starring Eric Misener and Paul Foisy, the gripping two-man drama unfolds through intertwining monologues that reveal different versions of the same devastating events.

What begins as the story of childhood friends Denny and Joey evolves into a tense examination of trust stretched to its breaking point. Through conflicting memories and painful revelations, audiences are left to determine where the truth lies and whether friendship can survive the weight of betrayal.

For director Mike Cote, the script’s emotional impact was immediate.

“It’s not often that you read a script that touches you on so many different levels, especially with only two characters,” said Cote. “The combination of loyalty and betrayal, love and disdain, passion and despair brings feelings that are hard to ignore.”

The intimacy of TheatreFor’s space becomes part of the storytelling. Cote wants audiences to feel as though they are sitting across from the characters as they confess their darkest moments.

“I want the audience drawn in. I want them to feel part of the story...in their guts,” he said. “I want them to feel that they are the only ones to whom the characters are speaking, almost like their confessors.”

At the heart of the production is the bond between Denny and Joey. For Eric Misener, who portrays Denny, establishing that relationship with castmate Paul Foisy came down to one essential ingredient.

“The most important aspect of any collaborative performance effort is trust,” Misener said. “Trusting one’s castmates is essential to creating any kind of compelling story. It became clear to me very early on in the process that I could trust him implicitly on stage.”

Misener believes audiences may be surprised by the complexity of a character who initially appears easy to judge.

“It is fairly easy to drop Denny in the box of racist, corrupt cop, and be done with it,” he said. “But he’s also fiercely protective of his family, and has a very highly developed sense of justice, as he sees it. I think it’s clear that Denny actually wants to make the world a better place.”

One challenge of portraying Denny is revealing what lies beneath the words.

“The challenge is: how do you deliver that depth when the character is often telling the audience directly what he’s thinking?” said Misener. “I think it comes from attempting to convey the underlying emotional experience of the character.”

For Paul Foisy, Joey’s story is rooted in a man’s struggle to reconcile his self-image with the reality of his choices.

“What interested me most was Joey’s struggle between his self-identification as the good guy and the fact that he is in love with his best friend’s wife,” Foisy said.

Foisy describes Joey as someone who sees the world through a spirit of caring for others.

“I see Joey as a man who strives to be a calming influence, a good man who provides stability to help make sense of things for those around him,” he said.

That perspective shapes Joey’s moral decisions throughout the play.

“I believe Joey sees the differences between right and wrong through the lens of love,” Foisy said. “He believes in doing the right thing, in law and order, but is willing to live with his shortcomings and those of others if he believes it will benefit or protect those he loves.”

After living with the character throughout rehearsals, Foisy believes Joey would want audiences to understand the depth of his devotion.

“I think Joey would like them to understand that he’d go to any length to protect Denny and his family,” he said. “They are the most important people in his life and he loves them all dearly.”

Raw, intimate, and thought-provoking, A Steady Rain invites audiences to wrestle with difficult questions about loyalty, accountability, and the choices people make for those they love most. At TheatreFor, those questions unfold just a few feet away, making every confession impossible to ignore.  

A Steady Rain is November 6 - 22 at TheatreFor, 1863 N Highland Ave., Clearwater. A Steady Rain is not recommended for guests under 17 years of age due to crude language, adult situations and ideation of gun violence and suicide. Learn more and buy tickets at https://www.theatrefor.com/current-season.