Playwright Roger Hall has great appeal to many, including Dannevirke's Josie Robertson.
"His scripts combine comedy with pathos and provide lots of food for thought," said Robertson, the director of Hall's By Degrees, which opens in the Dannevirke Fountain Theatre tomorrow night.
This is Robertson's first time as director for the Dannevirke Theatre Company, but she has had a long history with Hall's plays, appearing in Glide Time, Who Wants to be 100? Anyone Who's 99, Taking Off and her one-woman play, The Book Club.
"I've become very used to Hall's style of writing, I like it," Robertson said. "But it's a new experience not being on the stage."
With four female characters - Birgitta Rolston plays Glenys, Michelle Walker is Shirley, Sarah Jensen is Donna and Angela McQuarrie plays Clare, By Degrees is a captivating play, but very different.
"It's a difficult play for the women as they don't have a conversation with each other, so they have to be very on track with their own story and everyone else's story," Robertson said.
"It's been hard work and there has had to be a lot of trust between the actors."
Set in a New Zealand university city in the late 1980s and early 1990s, By Degrees follows four women of varying ages, in different stages of life, as they make the momentous decision to head off to university as adult students.
"I like the way By Degrees is written for monologues, similar to Taking Off which I was in 10 years ago. It gives the audience a chance to be engaged," Robertson said.
Another strength of the production is the lighting and sound, designed by Cameron Trigg.
"The lighting is very specific for this play and Cameron's mother, Barbara Smith's, expertise comes to the fore as the lighting and sound operator.
"Without Cameron's expertise and his mother's ability, we would be lost," Robertson said.
And on stage, while Rolston is very experienced, along with Walker who has been on stage before, there are two newcomers, Jensen and McQuarrie.
This is an intriguing play which will have the audience thinking, laughing and sharing the feelings of the four women on stage.
By Degrees:
• The show opens tomorrow night, June 7 and runs for two nights, and then two shows on Saturday, June 9. It resumes again on Wednesday, June 13, running through to Friday, June 15.
• Tickets can be purchased at the Dannevirke Information Centre, $25 for adults and $22 for seniors.