Something Happened, produced by Jeryll Adler, opens April 7; plays Thurs.-Fri., 8 pm; Sat., 3 & 8 pm; Sun., 5 pm; through May 16. Tickets: $25-$34.99. Pacific Stages, Beach City Plaza, 2041 Rosecrans Ave., #170, El Segundo; 310.868.2631 or pacificstages.org.

After its successful inaugural production, the social satire and Ovation recommended Lobby Hero, Pacific Stages in El Segundo premieres L. Trey Wilson’s Something Happened on Thursday, April 8.

Mashari Laila Bain

That the play begins with two young men caught in a compromising sexual situation, or that the cast is African American, shouldn’t be the first thing audiences discuss on their drive home, says Mashari Laila Bain who portrays the mother of one of the young men Donovan Piper (played by Eric B. Anthony). “It’s important, when faced with a trying situation in life,” Bain intones, “that parents take themselves out of the equation and really hear where their child is coming from.”

Bain has no children of her own but knows from her extended family that it’s a lot to ask. “It is a challenge but it’s important parents remain objective,” Bain says. “In this case, what happened to Donovan had to happen in order for the family to grow. That’s not unusual.”

Wilson, who also wrote Stage Directions which garnered awards in 2005 from LA Drama Critics Circle, NAACP, LA Weekly, GLAAD and Backstage West Garland plus an Ovation nomination, did not write Something Happened knowing how Donovan would respond to his involvement with the other young man, Raymond (Rob Nelson). “I performed in Six Degrees of Separation,” Wilson says, “and realized Paul in that play is a catalyst. But you don’t learn much about him until the end. I thought it would be interesting to see what and who he is that caused his actions. That was the idea behind Something Happened but I was surprised by Donovan’s reactions as I wrote.”

Armed with inspiration from Six Degrees, Wilson saw the story evolve into one that’s not necessarily about Donovan. “In fact,” says Bain, “each character might say this is his or her own story. If I were an outsider looking in, I’d probably say it’s the family’s story.” It’s Donovan’s mother who sees her life turned upside down, Bain notes. “But, without a doubt, Donovan is a catalyst in this work.”

L. Trey Wilson

Anthony finds Wilson wrote his character Donovan as the most honest of all. “He’s really mature and brave, even though he’s only 17. I’m thrilled to play him because so many people discover too late in life who they are and a certain amount of courage is postponed until they do.” Anthony says the play reinforced the notion that a supportive family is vital. “Without it,” he says, “you can make poor choices or can’t recover from the poor decisions you make. Donovan is a leader. He creates his own destiny while getting a lot of support and empathy, despite how awkward the situation becomes.”

The play’s conflict, Anthony notes, stems from the two teens. “They go through this crisis together but the other boy’s parents are totally on the other side of the fence from Donovan’s in terms of support and understanding.” Nothing in Donovan’s environment, says Anthony, leads to his relationship with Raymond, who is also known as Rashid. “What happens is just a result of who they are.”

Anthony finds Donovan holds the key to unlocking the truth, which reveals the play’s chief conflict. “The audience sees, in the rawest form, what living untruthfully can do to a person. He puts all the cards on the table.” Anthony says there is a part of Donovan that feels familiar. “If you’ve ever been looked at differently like I was, when I was singing, dancing, and acting while my friends were playing football and basketball, you know that growing up in your ‘hood can be very challenging. Donovan gets to stop trying to be what he’s not. He gets to tell the truth in the most beautiful, heartbreaking moment in the play.”

Wilson says he was asked by executive director and founder Jeryll Adler, to submit something for last year’s reading. “I gave her two plays. This one got an intense reaction,” Wilson says.

“The piece, unlike any other I’ve written, touches me emotionally.”

Wilson notes his reaction comes not from anything that happened to him physically, “but because Donovan’s responses feel familiar to me. And audience feedback from the last summer’s reading gave me so much to think about. Thankfully, I’m a writer who doesn’t mind editing.”

What Wilson has created, says William Christian, who portrays Donovan’s father Doug, reflects something crucial in today’s society. “This is not a ‘gay’ play,” he notes, “but there are gay themes and I think that’s significant. This country has a black president and that’s important to me and the nation. Talking about gay issues is important,” he believes, particularly in light of last year’s passage of Proposition 8 in California, which made unconstitutional same-sex marriage.

“We had a black guy running for president,” says Christian, who received a Daytime Emmy nomination and NAACP Image Award nomination for his work on All My Children, “and gay people who want to marry. That equals civil rights to me. I do believe theatre is a socio-political statement.” And he finds something appealing about Wilson’s writing. “Everyone’s opinion is right; or, if it’s not exactly right, it’s at least not wrong.”

When one examines Something Happened in terms of choosing paths, Anthony believes most everyone will be reminded of a turning point in their own lives. “Donovan and I share a very strong will. I went to the High School of Performing Arts in Baltimore to pursue acting. I grew up in a single parent household for many years. My mother would find out about decisions I’d made after the fact and she’d say, ‘Why didn’t you tell me you’re doing these things!?’ In Donovan’s case, he’s been involved in a group without telling his parents because he wasn’t ready to have that conversation.”

Anthony came to this play through an accidental benefactor. “My friend, Brian Chandler, who did The Lion King with me on Broadway, knows Trey Wilson and recommended me.” Two degrees of separation, if you will. “I met Trey at a Starbucks, read for him and got the role. I find something new in Donovan every time I say his lines.”

For Christian, that sentiment sums up acting. “I remember seeing several numbered pieces in a museum by [French painter Henri] Matisse. Each was a smiley face and the author’s note said something along the lines of, ‘I’m looking for the essence of the character.’ How perfect is that?”

For Robert Bailey, associate artistic director, perfection may one day be found by transforming Pacific Stages from a 99-seat house to a 500-seat regional theatre. “We built this theatre where there wasn’t one. And,” he quips, “I don’t know how we did it, to tell you the truth.”

Bailey says Pacific Stages was offered space in a retail center, shared by a PF Chang’s restaurant and Pacific Cinemas. “We are here because of the largesse of the developer, Richard Lundquist, of Continental Development Corporation. He showed us the space and offered it to us. It had a natural lobby but we carved out room for risers and 99 seats.” It’s only a start, he says. “Within a few years, we hope to raise enough money to build a much larger facility. This area has an affluent demographic that didn’t have nearby access to a theatre dedicated to American works. Now they do.”

Artistic director Brendon Fox adds, “We have a commitment from an architect to help create a mid-size regional theatre a few years down the road. But in the meantime we are excited to build an audience and as Pacific Stages matures and expands, so ideally will the size and scope of our audience.”

Fox, Bailey and Adler are the team who select plays. Bailey likes the idea of taking on Romulus Linney’s play 2: Goering at Nuremberg. “One of our goals is to highlight lesser known works, and Linney (father of actress Laura) has written a diabolical play about a terrible monster. Yet it also allows us to laugh – it’s quite a work.”

FUSCHIA! And Rob Nelson in Something Happened

It’s a work the three directors may consider for 2011, Bailey says. Meanwhile, as Something Happened prepares to open, Christian returns to something that happened to him. “My understanding of acting was unlocked when I saw that Matisse collection. I thought about looking for the essence in a character. It may be what Brando did. Many say Marlon Brando was the best actor ever. You could see him working, digging deeper each time he was on stage. So as brilliant as people are today, we shortchange ourselves.”

In other words, we look at just one smiley face, not a series, and feel satisfied. “We don’t take our time. As an actor, theatre gives me that opportunity. I do a scene over and over and over and, suddenly, something dawns on me. I get a moment of understanding.”

Physics, he says, provides the same opportunity. Isn’t each day yet another numbered smiley face? “But since we are a media-driven society,” Christian says, “we instant message or tweet and we’re done. We’ve moved on. Everything becomes too basic. I think our goal is to work these characters so people leave the show with something to think about – if only they’ll take the time.”

Feature image of William Christian, Eric B. Anthony and Mashari Laila Bain and story images by Steve Moses

Article by Steve Julian