Nestled on a peninsula between NC State and Pullen Park is a little, red building. This is the proud home of Theatre in the Park, which has brought Raleigh A Christmas Carol for the past 40 years.

These past three weeks of September, Theatre in the Park’s Artistic and Executive Director, Ira David Wood III has partnered with Raleigh resident, Adrienne Earle Pender, for the second time in nearly a decade to bring to life her original play: Somewhere In Between. Pender wrote The Rocker, which also premiered at Theatre in the Park in 2004.

Somewhere In Between is the story of an interracial marriage. Upon the husband’s death, his wife discovers he had been having an affair with a man throughout their entire marriage. The play is about her coming to terms with betrayal and how she deals with this particular type of betrayal. 

“Somewhere in Between is a story about love and accepting love,” Pender said. “[The play] explores the different ways people love each other.” 

The play also has no real villain and no forced sense of closure, such as the husband with his affair. 

“It doesn’t make him a bad guy, at least not in the play. It lets the audience make up their mind,” Wood said.“The premise made me very excited.”

So excited, he said he did not even read the play before he booked it to premiere on his stage. 

The premiere of this particular play is unusual in that the playwright was involved in the entire process. Normally, the playwright writes the play and then hands it off to a director who is free to make any number of changes. In this play, Pender worked with the director and actors to produce this version. 

“There’s some things they’ve done here I’m going to keep,” Pender said.

This collaborative spirit is what defines Theatre in the Park. 

“An average of 3.2 people ride in a car to come to a show, and they spend an average of $75 a day,” Wood said. 

Theatre in the Park has a 7:30 p.m. curtain so patrons can comfortably go out to eat before a show. In addition, Theatre in the Park works with other theatres in Raleigh to promote one another’s shows.

According to Wood, what he is excited about is theatre itself; bringing new people into it and the challenge of doing so. 

“Television has ruined the audience,” Wood said. “Every 15 minutes the audience shifts, which is where the commercials would be. We have people who come in and talk to the actors. They forget they’re talking to people who can hear them.” 

Wood said that plays are intimate experiences. For two hours, and a 15 minute intermission, the audience, the actors and the crew all breathe the same breath. The actors are the characters and the story takes place so near the audience could reach out and touch it. This rhythm, as Wood calls it, when everyone’s hearts beat together is, “a little bit of the aether reserved for God.” 

In 1972, Wood turned down a recurring role on a show with Andy Griffith because he believed theatre was the way to change the world. He still believes it. 

“Theatre is a way to raise sensibility and conduits of communication,” Wood said. 

Every season Wood alternates well-known shows with brand new ones to get people in to see the new shows written by playwrights who have something to say.

Wood said he wants to challenge the students of NC State. 

“Shake it up. Come to theatre. Anyone can stagger across Hillsborough Street. Try something new,” Wood said. 

For two hours, with a 15 minute intermission, be a part of this tantalizing rhythm. Somewhere In Between had its last show on Sunday, but upcoming in the season are: Regrets Only, Dracula and, of course, A Christmas Carol. There are student ticket discounts available.