Second Thought Theatre Closes 15th Season With World Premiere of WHAT WE WERE

Second Thought Theatre closes their 2019 season with the world premiere of What We Were by acclaimed local playwright Blake Hackler. This is the third world premiere of Hackler's plays presented by Second Thought, following successful runs in previous seasons of The Necessities and Enemies/People. It also marks the first co-production for the company with another theatre. Directed by STT Artistic Associate Christie Vela, What We Were tells the story of three sisters who suffered a childhood of abuse. Weaving scenes from the past and present, the play explores responsibility, what we do to cope, and the very difficult work of healing. What We Were begins with previews on Wednesday, August 28 and runs through Saturday, September 21. Performances of What We Were will take place at Bryant Hall on the Kalita Humphreys Campus; 3400 Blackburn Avenue before transferring to Circle Theatre in Fort Worth. Tickets to What We Were can be purchased online at secondthoughttheatre.com.

"The way Blake writes people, the way he writes relationships-he has a way of capturing this part of the world that transcends race and class. It's just about Texas people," said Vela. "I come from a family of seven sisters, and I feel like I understood immediately what these relationships were-how they relate to each other, talk to each other, care for each other, or not."

Artistic Director Alex Organ added, "It's been thrilling to bear witness to the evolution of Blake's work over the years. My personal opinion is that this play is Blake's finest. I love all his plays, but in terms of depth, and in terms of maturity, this one feels special. It also feels right to feature this piece for our first co-production with another theater, to help us explore whether this experiment of doing a play in Dallas and Fort Worth is sustainable or even necessary." He continued, "When Matthew Gray, who has long been a collaborator at Second Thought, took over at Circle a couple of years ago, we immediately started exploring opportunities to explore the possibility of a collaboration. We are hopeful that it will provide us with a model we can repeat in the future."

After disappearing 17 years ago, Tessa, the youngest sister, resurfaces. It seems she has spent her adult life on the run, moving from state to state and foster family to foster family, pretending to be a teenage girl. When Nell gets word that Tessa, now 35, has finally been found out, Nell must decide how much of her past she's willing to face in order to save her sister.

The four-person cast is evenly split between seasoned alumni and those making their debuts on the STT stage. Lydia Mackay returns to Second Thought to play oldest sister Carlin after appearing in last season's Revolt. She said. Revolt again. Youngest sister Tessa is played by Jenny Ledel who was most recently seen in Here We Go by Caryl Churchill as well as Revolt. A favorite across north Texas, Jessica D. Turner makes her Second Thought debut as middle sister Nell. Benjamin Stegmair also makes his Second Thought debut as teenager Luke.

Aaron Johansen (Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?/Here We Go, Enemies/People, The Necessities) will design lights, and John Flores (Revolt. She said. Revolt again., Straight White Men, Bull) returns to design sound. Making their debuts with STT are Dahlia Al-Habieli as set designer and Caroline Hamilton as assistant director.

What We Were will preview at Second Thought on Wednesday, August 28 and Thursday, August 29 at 7:30pm. Opening and press night is Friday, August 30 at 8:00pm. The PWYC performances of What We Were will take place on Wednesday, August 28; Thursday, August 29; Monday, September 2; Monday, September 9; and Monday, September 16 at 7:30p. PWYC tickets are available at the box office one hour prior to the start of the performance and are subject to availability. What We Were runs through September 21. Tickets are on sale now at secondthoughttheatre.com and can be purchased for $25.

The play will then transfer to Forth Worth's Circle Theatre and run September 26 through October 19.

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