Actors will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday to present audience members with an unconventional love story intended to call attention to what it is like to love without recognition.
This play is titled “You Remind Me of You” and is sponsored by the Bloomington Playwrights Project, a local theater company devoted to new plays and unknown playwrights. This show in particular was written by Mathew Capodicasa, a New York playwright whose script was discovered by the BPP through an open call for playwrights.
The show is directed by David Sheehan, associate artistic director at the BPP, and will run at 7:30 p.m. for the next three weekends. Tickets are available at web.oviationtix.com or at the BPP, located at 107 W. Ninth St.
The play details the story of Adele, a law-school drop-out who sacrificed her education and social life to take care of her sick father. However, as a result of his illness, Adele’s father does not remember her.
An unexpected man named Vincent then enters her life and offers her a chance at love. Unfortunately, he has a neurological condition called face blindness, which prevents him from recognizing Adele. This unlucky protagonist must now navigate two relationships without recognition.
Lauren Sagendorph, a recent graduate of the IU Department of Theater, Drama and Contemporary Dance, plays Franny, Adele’s best friend. Although Franny is a supporting role, Sagendorph said Franny’s own love story is an important part of the overarching plot.
When discussing her character’s contributions to the play, Sagendorph said she likes how Franny’s homosexual relationship is not explicitly addressed in the play. She said she believes this is a means of normalizing gay relationships.
When asked about her experience portraying Franny, Sagendorph said the similarities she found between herself and this character presented a challenge for her as an actress.
“I find characters different from me more familiar,” she said.
Despite this challenge, Sagendorph said she enjoys how Franny’s love story depicts a different kind of love and further complicates the plot.
“They love each other a lot but push each other’s buttons at every chance they get,” Sagendorph said. “They can overcome these snips, and that is a cool thing to show.”
This is the first production of Capodicasa’s play, and Sagendorph said helping bring life to his vision for the first time was especially rewarding.
She said Capodicasa was active in the production process by continuously sending edits.
“The person who designed the characters is two feet in front of you,” she said. “As a playwright and an actor, I get both sides of the art.”
Overall, Sagendorph said audiences will see a play with a lot of complicated and fascinating story lines that are rarely captured.
“Not only does it talk about face blindness but tells how someone with face blindness loves,” Sagendorph said.
