A scene from last year’s staged reading of Trent Clifford’s The Way He Sees You
Trent Clifford’s new play confronts abuse in same-sex marriages at Resolute Theatre Project
RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
rich@dallasvoice.com
In August, Trent Clifford will see his play The Way He Looks At You fully realized, thanks to Resolute Theatre Project. After a staged reading last year in Dallas, the Waco playwright happened to secure a producer that night, and, in a week’s time, his play will have its world premiere.
These are happy times for Clifford, despite the fact that the play itself stems from personal trauma.
“The show takes on themes of gay marriage and domestic violence. I think these are things that overlap, but we don’t talk enough about it,” the playwright said. “This is a conversation starter, and it’s why I direct and why I write. Theater has the power to stir people.”
The Way He Looks at You centers on four characters playing two married couples. The play follows the journey of both relationships, as well as the two who are friends but also suffering under their partners. The show compares and contrasts the experiences while the audience witnesses how they handle their situations.
Clifford said he wanted the show to take a look at domestic violence and how an unhealthy relationship can take on more insidious forms.
Playwright Trent Clifford
The play is a personal one, Clifford said; while it’s not autobiographical, his own experiences are infused into the story.
“I started writing this within about a month of leaving my abusive ex-husband,” he said. “I wanted to write a play relating to what I suffered over the course of three years.
“I’ve learned its remarkably relatable for audiences,” he continued. “Most of us have experience with unhealthy relationships at different levels. Hopefully those all don’t fall into abusive ones.”
The process of writing this play — his fourth — was a cathartic one.
“For sure it was. And not only is it my play about domestic violence, but also it’s more for trauma survivors of any kind,” he said. “The ability to tell this is a part of that healing journey, and to see it is important on a number of levels. It ensures that people like me see their stories reflected onstage in a multidimensional way.”
Clifford is the founder and artistic director of Wild Imaginings in Waco which gives focus to new works. Clearly, he’s also a playwright and dramaturg. Clifford also holds a Masters of Divinity, which adds another layer not only to his writing, but also to his perspective on marriage.
“That does enter into my writing. I was raised in a church, and marriage was kind of presented as this end-all. That kept me in my marriage.
And in the cultural South, there’s this sanctity of it with the pressures surrounding if the marriage is failing,” he said.
The play first had a staged reading last year by Outcry Theater. It was there that Resolute producer and director Amy Cave saw the performance. Clifford said before the reading was finished, the two had connected.
“It really was a dream scenario for a playwright. By intermission, she told me she had to produce it. I had seen workshops and readings, but
I’m lucky that it got this attention so fast,” he said. “It’s rare that someone in the room is the person who will make it happen, so it’s really exciting to see this come to fruition in a short time and that they understand what you’re trying to do.”
For more information or tickets, visit ResoluteTheatreProject.org.