Wendy Lippe and Kenny Kelleher Swoon for Psych Drama Company's Immersive 'Stage Kiss'

EDGE: The Psych Drama Company chose this play in particular rather than going ahead with a production of "Long Day's Journey Into Night" as originally planned, because the world is, to quote something you said, "so heavy and dark" right now. Is the play lifting your spirits and those of your castmates?

Kenny Kelleher: "Stage Kiss" is doing a pretty damn good job of lifting our spirits in this mess of a time right now. It's always great to have another world to disappear into when your own is uncertain. And just like we experience this play and hope that the characters of "He" and "She" come out better for it by the end of their stories, I hope... from deep down...that we all do too. For all that's good in this damn world.

Wendy Lippe: To quote Nietzsche, "We possess art lest we perish of the truth." Theater is the ultimate source of comfort, healing, and soothing for me, and "Stage Kiss" is no exception.

EDGE: This immersive production breaks the fourth wall – could you explain a bit about how the audience will participate?

Wendy Lippe: With this production, we are taking our critically acclaimed immersive style to new levels. Audience members will have the option to actively participate in the show...on stage! And our cast members sit amongst the audience members, as though everyone is at an audition or a rehearsal. The deeper meaning at the heart of this particular immersive conceptualization is that Ruhl's "love letter to actors" is really a "love letter to all of us." We are creating a shared identification with audience members. Aren't we all actors in our lives and relationships whether we perform on stage or not? And in an age of utter chaos and confusion over what is real, we are all dealing with the tension between artifice and authenticity; and we are all searching for what feels real and true, just like the characters in the play.