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Library luncheon features hometown author

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Golf classic to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

<p>WILKES-BARRE TWP. &#8212; As Luke and Adam putter around their apartment, joking about $10 wine versus $39 wine, a bone of contention creeps into their conversation.</p><p>&#8220;Why are you mocking me?&#8221; Luke asks, explaining he&#8217;d like to spend eternity with his partner. &#8220;Is it so wrong of me to want you to go to heaven?&#8221;</p><p>Unlike Luke, Adam is an atheist and &#8220;heaven&#8221; means nothing to him. Besides that, he has other problems with Luke&#8217;s religious beliefs.</p><p>&#8220;You guys are all about judging,&#8221; he complains. &#8220;You even have a whole day named after it.&#8221;</p><p>Welcome to playwright Geoffrey Nauffts&#8217; &#8220;Next Fall,&#8221; which Gaslight Theatre will present May 18 to May 27 in its performance space at the East End Centre.</p><p>The action in the play, which received two Tony nominations in 2010, eventually moves to a hospital waiting room, where Luke&#8217;s parents, friends and, of course, Adam, anxiously wait to hear the prognosis after Luke is in a serious accident.</p><p>This is a chance for everyone to become better acquainted. Up to this point, Luke&#8217;s parents, Arlene and Butch, haven&#8217;t had much contact with Adam and might not know their son is gay.</p><p>&#8220;Butch doesn&#8217;t want to know,&#8221; said Sean McKeown of Wilkes-Barre, who plays the dad.</p><p>&#8220;He has a hard-shell exterior,&#8221; director Brandi George said, describing Luke&#8217;s mother, Arlene, as more &#8220;compassionate and perceptive.&#8221;</p><p>But everyone in this play has some good qualities.</p><p>&#8220;The playwright has done a wonderful job treating the characters with love, and interjecting some humor,&#8221; George said. &#8220;None of the characters is supposed to be treated like a caricature.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;You don&#8217;t want to fall into the trap of thinking &#8216;this is a gay play&#8217; or &#8216;this is a religious play,&#8217; &#8221; said Christa Manning, of Dupont, who plays Arlene. &#8220;This is a life play.&#8221;</p><p>When you ponder the premise, you might assume Luke&#8217;s family, especially Butch, will dislike Adam on principle. Is there any prejudice in the other direction, from Adam toward Butch?</p><p>During a recent rehearsal break, Eric Lutz, of Scranton, who plays Adam, started to answer that question with a &#8220;no.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Oh, you try to bait him,&#8221; Manning said, speaking to Lutz as if he were his character.</p><p>&#8220;You do,&#8221; McKeown confirmed with a nod.</p><p>&#8220;What&#8217;s great about this play,&#8221; said cast member Lydia Traill, of Kingston, who plays a friend of Luke and Adam, &#8220;is that it takes a small story about these two people and opens up all kinds of questions. It shows a universality, and the play itself is kind toward all the characters. There&#8217;s a real generosity of spirit.&#8221;</p><p>George said the play may resonate with people who, during the recent presidential election, voted one way while knowing family members, whom they still loved despite the bitterness of the campaign, voted the other way.</p><p>For anyone who is wondering if Luke experiences a conflict between his religious convictions and his sexuality, cast member Jonathan Wallace, of Trucksville, who plays Luke, said, &#8220;The character thinks he&#8217;s come to terms with it, but I think he&#8217;s still figuring it out.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Cast members Lydia Traill, of Kingston, and Eric Lutz, of Scranton, discuss Gaslight Theatre&#8217;s production of &#8216;Next Fall&#8217; during a rehearsal break Tuesday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_nextfall1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Cast members Lydia Traill, of Kingston, and Eric Lutz, of Scranton, discuss Gaslight Theatre&#8217;s production of &#8216;Next Fall&#8217; during a rehearsal break Tuesday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_nextfall2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Actors Christa Manning, of Dupont, and Jonathan Wallace, of Trucksville, are reflected in a mirror during a rehearsal of &#8216;Next Fall.&#8217; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_nextfall2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Actors Christa Manning, of Dupont, and Jonathan Wallace, of Trucksville, are reflected in a mirror during a rehearsal of &#8216;Next Fall.&#8217; </caption1><photoCredit1>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_nextfall3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Eric Lutz, at right, portrays Adam, an atheist getting to know his partner&#8217;s religious family in &#8216;Next Fall.&#8217; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_nextfall3-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Eric Lutz, at right, portrays Adam, an atheist getting to know his partner&#8217;s religious family in &#8216;Next Fall.&#8217; </caption2><photoCredit2>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_nextfall4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">&#8216;Next Fall&#8217; cast members Lydia Traill, of Kingston, and Sean McKeown, of Wilkes-Barre, play cards during a scene set in a hospital waiting room. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_nextfall4-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>&#8216;Next Fall&#8217; cast members Lydia Traill, of Kingston, and Sean McKeown, of Wilkes-Barre, play cards during a scene set in a hospital waiting room. </caption3><photoCredit3>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta></subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO</strong></p><p><strong>What:</strong> &#8216;Next Fall&#8217;</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Gaslight Theatre, 200 East End Centre, Heinz Drive, Wilkes-Barre Township</p><p><strong>When:</strong> 8 p.m. May 19 to 20 and 25 to 27. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.</p><p><strong>Tickets:</strong> $15; $12</p><p><strong>Advance purchases:</strong> highly recommended because seating is limited and reservations cannot be taken. See ticketfly.com.</p><p><strong>Info:</strong> gaslight-theatre.org or 570-266-8565</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

‘Life play’ ‘Next Fall’ tells story of a believer and an atheist in love