The Studio@620 brings drama ‘The Light’ to light

“All you need in the world is love and laughter,” playwright August Wilson famously wrote in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. “That’s all anybody needs. To have love in one hand and laughter in the other.”

Wilson’s quote is the first thing that comes to mind for actress Jemier Jenkins when she talks about The Light, the Loy A. Webb drama opening Friday at The Studio@620.

The Light has just two characters – charter school principal Genesis (Jenkins) and firefighter Rashad, played by Lance Felton. In the play, a celebration of their dating anniversary turns into a dark conversation about not only love and trust, but memories, fear and core beliefs.

“There are several places within the play where either one of them could end it all and check out,” Jenkins believes. “But they keeping coming back in and fighting for their love.”

Which reminds her of that observation from Joe Turner. “I think that whenever people are fighting, having deep-rooted conflict, whether or not they’re going to decide to stay together is about how much they love each other and are willing to fight for that love,” Jenkins explains. “And what’s unique about Rashad and Genesis is that they laugh and they joke so much.”

When Webb’s 70-minute play premiered Off-Broadway, The Wrap reviewer summed it up: “From #Me Too to Black Lives Matter, The Light plays host to a number of issues, but what’s really at the core of Webb’s play is the eternal battle of the sexes.”

That might be something of an over-simplification, but saying more would be doling out spoilers.

“There’s a point, I think, in every relationship where you have to lose everything to see what the relationship is valued at,” Felton suggests. “What is it worth to you? I think this is the moment when Genesis finally learns to trust, and Rashad finally learns to see outside himself.

“He’s a single father. He’s the breadwinner of his household, taking care of his mom. So I think he’s used to tunnel vision. And there’s a similar pattern with Genesis.

“But I think they’re slowly learning to un-learn putting up that wall.”

Artistic Executive Director Erica Sutherlin is co-directing the play with Patrick Arthur Jackson. It is the first theatrical production at the venerable venue since Sutherlin took the reins in July.

Jenkins and Felton, who both have extensive bay area acting resumes, met as cast members of the Bob Devin Jones-directed Hamlet earlier this year.

“Our dressing tables were right next to each other’s, so we would have these back-and-forths about hot topics, every day, as friends,” Jenkins recalls.

Adds Felton: “I think the core conversation between Genesis and Rashad was very reflective of me and Jemier before we even picked up this script. We might agree, we might disagree, ‘but I really need to know what your frame of mind is on this topic.’”

Both actors have given, and continue to give, deep consideration to Webb’s words, and what they say about the characters they each inhabit.

“There’s a heartbeat to the piece, a pace that we have to maintain,” Jenkins explains. “So we don’t lose the momentum. For me, I have to navigate not allowing driving taste to not make me respond to him in my anger. I’m very mindful that even though we’re having these really intense conversations, underneath all that I’m speaking to someone that I love very deeply.

“And how do you talk to someone you love even when they’re challenging you? I can’t be yelling at him like I’m yelling at a stranger in the street.”

Felton agrees. “It’s definitely about listening out for the love that these two share.

“And that we have to open ourselves up to the experience that people might not be used to this level of intimacy between two African Americans onstage. We are humans, regardless of race, creed or color, we are humans. And that this story is essentially human. The main focus is finding that love.”

The Light runs Sept. 20-22, and Sept. 26-29. There’s a preview performance Thursday, Sept. 19. Find info and tickets here.