PORTLAND, Maine — Tor Hyams and Lisa St. Lou, who wrote “Senior Living,” a play now having its world premiere at Portland Stage Company, owe a debt of gratitude to actor and fellow playwright John Cariani. When Anita Stewart, the artistic and executive director at PSC, was looking for a play to produce featuring older people, she asked Cariani if he’d like to write something along those lines.
According to Hyams, Cariani told her, “I already know something like that. My friends Tor and Lisa have written this play. It’s called ‘Senior Living.’ You should read it.”
Stewart did read the play, she loved it, and it’s now being presented by PSC, a theatre with which Cariani — who grew up in Aroostook County and wrote the play “Almost, Maine” — has had a long and rewarding relationship. As the saying goes: things just worked out.
Want to hear more about how Hyams and St. Lou wrote “Senior Living” and what they wanted to capture about the lives of older people? Watch our conversation.