PORTLAND, Maine — Is there extra pressure on a playwright when her play is presented in the city where she has lived for many years? “That would be a hard yes,” says Monica Wood with a laugh. It’s not an abstract question since her new play, “Saint Dad,” has just opened at Portland Stage Company.
Expectations are running high, and there’s a keen desire not to disappoint. “But in other ways this is a perfect play for a Maine audience,” Wood says. “It all feels very homegrown.”
“Saint Dad” is about three adult children who make the decision to sell the longtime family camp because their father is dying. When he makes a miraculous recovery, they all have to deal with the consequences of what they’ve done. The elements of the play—sibling tensions, people from away, a beloved camp, the memories of a lifetime—will resonate with a lot of Mainers.
As a writer, Wood has produced many articles, several novels and an acclaimed memoir, “When We Were the Kennedys,” about growing up in the town of Mexico. For those projects, writing was a solitary pursuit. Plays, in contrast, are all about collaboration. Even so, her forays into theatre have been rewarding.
“I love writing plays,” Wood says.
“You better,” “Saint Dad” director Sally Wood (no relation) immediately says. “You’re really good at it.”