I highly recommend the current Harlequin Productions offering at the State, Sins of the Mother, by Israel Horovitz. This is a new play, by a playwright with many writings to his credit, who, as the result of a series of unlikely events, has offered it to Harlequin for its West Coast premiere.

It’s a play set in a small town, long dependent on the extraction of natural resources, recently hammered by the over-extraction of those resources. While it happens to be Gloucester, Mass., it could have easily been set in Port Angeles or the Harbor or Shelton. The characters and their language are very closely observed and the action – and interactions – are tight and fascinating.

Saturday’s performance was enriched by the presence of the playwright. While a few people left once the play was over, the great majority stayed for an interesting and spirited discussion of the play between the writer and the audience. It was particularly interesting to see a playwright seeking and responding to feedback on the play. I’ve never seen that before and it crystallized what a collaborative and incremental process is the crafting of a play, in contrast to other, less social, more solitary literary endeavors.

Go see it!