Waterville Opera House hosts world premiere of "Unabashedly"

"Unabashedly" focuses on Dave (played by Jacob Sutherland), a young editor at a major city newspaper, who discovers he is tied to a red thread — and someone is tugging on it. His belief is questioned by Helen (played by Katherine Myers), a new beat reporter who doesn't believe in the "red string theory."

Teverbaugh didn't have to look far for the inspiration behind the play. The writer based the concept on a fictionalized account of meeting his wife, Linda, at an advertising trade publication, though the setting was changed to be a little more accessible.

"For the purposes of the play, the Los Angeles Times just seemed more interesting, and required less explanation," he said.

Teverbaugh had worked for decades as a television writer out in California, building stories for shows like "Last Man Standing," "Better Off Ted" and "The Drew Carey Show." Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Teverbaugh bowed out of the TV world and began writing plays.

"I knew a couple of people who had done a lot of playwriting even while working as TV writers," he said. "It didn't seem like that strange a thing, so I thought I'd give it a shot."

But despite the similar writing format, Teverbaugh found writing plays allowed him more creative freedom and didn't require adjusting to the ever-evolving expectations of the studios.

"If you're trying to create a TV show, you have to think more or less along the lines of what your agents and managers have told you the studios and networks are looking for this year."

Waterville Opera House's big production

In 2024, the Waterville Opera House (WOH) was selected by AACT to produce an original work by one of the six winning playwrights as part of the NewPlayFest. The WOH team received a number of transcripts to review, relaying their choices back to the AACT to match them up with one of the plays.

Susi and the others were struck by Teverbaugh's play. The director said that the working relationship felt similar to the plot of "Unabashedly."

"Mike and I share a lot of very common, solid beliefs about human beings and our connection to each other and about the creative process," she said. "And I thought this is part of why our show — if you believe the red thread theory — was meant to be."

Susi has deep roots in Maine's performing arts scene. In addition to her role as the department chair for the Visual Performing Arts program at Maine Central Institute, she's also been involved with WOH for more than 20 years. Susi said her role as director for "Unabashedly" came from her prior experience directing original work at the famed theater.

"[Directing new works] can be messy," she said. "Some people are not built for that process, but I enjoy the process. I like things a little messy because I think that's when creative work happens."

She added that producing original work proves challenging because there is little framework in place outside the foundation of the story produced from the writer's imagination.

"There are numerous production images out there of Les Mis, and there are tapes and movies and all these things that are models," she said. "With new works, it's a matter of approaching it with an open mindset and lots of questions."

Teverbaugh and Susi collaborated often when producing the play. The NewPlayFest guidelines require producing theaters to workshop the script and performance with the playwright, so Teverbaugh and his wife flew from California to Maine to be part of the process.

But Teverbaugh was never concerned about losing his artistic vision by handing over the "Unabashedly" production to an unfamiliar theater group. In fact, much like being tied together in a marriage, the strength of bringing a manuscript to life lies in the ability to talk things out.

"It's really important for the writer and director to communicate," he said. "If you don't have that, then I think you're screwed."

Tickets for "Unabashedly" are available on the Waterville Opera House website.