Previews: A NUMBER at Off-Central Players

Now through November 20 at Off-Central Players is A Number, a play that explores the issue of human cloning through the relationships between a father and his three sons.

When director Alan Mohney Jr. initially read the script, he was puzzled. The playwright Caryl Churchill decided punctuation was unnecessary. He quipped that he thought there were only three commas and two periods in the entire piece.

"After that wore off, I was fascinated by the story and the prospects of telling it. It's a father-and-son story. A man who lost a child at a young age tries again. Through the wonders of science, he engineers a replacement to try again and be the father he couldn't be before."

The father, Salter, learns that despite regretting your past, replication does not equal replacement.

The playwright gave very little instructional information about the play, so it was up to Alan to make those decisions.

"I am a director who likes working with bare bones, to strip a show of everything it doesn't need and let the actors tell the story. At the end of the day, we are all storytellers. Most every script you pick up begins with some sort of description, by the author, about the setting, time, place, etc. With A Number, Ms. Churchill gave us three words: 'Where Salter Lives' - that throws the door open to virtually any possibility. It allowed us to try and find the essence of a character first. It gave me the freedom to try everything and anything and do it without the burden of unnecessary physical elements and focus on just what we needed, then adding on what is essential to telling the story. This piece explores the possibilities that exist with human cloning and the implications of trying to fix the past by way of the future. It became an opportunity to use elements of technology to tell a fundamentally human story."

Actor Ward Smith plays Salter.

"I relate to Salter on a dad level. With two grown sons of my own, there are countless times I wish I had do-overs. I select work that is real, true, and personal to me," said Ward. "I love the pace and the relationships with the sons. I hope the audience leaves talking about well past curtain call. Hopefully, they get a greater sense of self and identity and maybe, if it applies, call their dad or kids."

Alan said that everyone should see the performance.

"This show is accessible and relatable to every single one of us. Fundamentally, this is a story that everyone can relate to on some level. Each of us has asked ourselves where we come from and what makes us, us. I want people to talk about the subject matter of the piece, asking themselves whether we really are who we are. I also hope the audiences come away from the show seeing that Studio Grand Central is a place where good stories, intimate stories, and important stories are being told. I hope they see the actors and designers telling those stories can do so in a space that encourages expression and a willingness to get the most out of the material," he explained. "I love it because it is different. I love that it affords me the opportunity to work on a piece of material concerning a subject that is not talked about widely. It also leaves the door open for those who see it to decide for themselves what is right and what is not. Hopefully, the conversation as the audiences file out of the theatre will be a quiet one, first the conversation with themselves and, hopefully, with the rest of the world. I hope to provide at least a moment of reflection about how we treat ourselves and each other."

When asked what he wanted patrons to take away from the production, Ward responded to the inquiry with his own questions for the audience.

"Can you really start over? Do we ever really atone?"

Off-Central Players' A Number is playing now through November 20 at Studio Grand Central, 2260 1st Ave, St Pete. Learn more and purchase tickets at www.studiograndcentral.com/tickets

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