‘The Messenger’ at Chance Theater

OC Theatre Guild
5 hours ago
3 min read

Four women. One truth. And the dangerous cost of carrying it.

From left, Rori Flynn, Kallie Pong and Megan Sigler. Photo courtesy of Timothy Huynh

by MaryAnn DiPietro

At Chance Theater, the stage becomes a crossroads of memory and consequence. In “The Messenger,” written by Jenny Connell Davis and directed by Katie Chidester, a nonlinear drama unfolds as the stories of four women, decades apart, speak into the same restless space.

“Four interwoven monologues that echo and collide with one another,” reads Chidester’s synopsis.

“Each voice offers a different lens on violence, silence and the impossible decision of whether to speak out or stay quiet, and what each of those choices costs.”

Inspired in part by the real story of Hungarian Holocaust survivor Georgia Gabor, the play braids historical testimony with the journey of a young American woman confronting racial discrimination in the present day. The result is a work that reminds us the past is never truly behind us.

Davis, a screenwriter and playwright known for her socially incisive storytelling, premiered “The Messenger” in 2022 at Palm Beach Dramaworks, followed by a production at Kitchen Theatre Company. The play has been praised for its inventive structure and emotional clarity. Davis has also been recognized as a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, honoring excellence in plays written by women.

Juliet Fischer. Photo courtesy of Timothy Huynh

“This play feels lyrical, like a poem, like a ballet,” she said. “While it is text-driven, it has a movement and fluidity that sweeps us up. I am attempting to capture that movement through staging, design and tone.”

“Technically, we’ve kept the design clean and focused in a nonrealistic way, creating atmosphere without overpowering the story as it moves through locations and time,” she said. “The design is just as poetic as the writing. Everything works in service of the actors and the story.”

And it is the actors, she emphasized, who carry the emotional weight.

“I am very fortunate to have assembled this cast,” Chidester said. “The play requires emotional precision, and I’m excited for audiences to experience their extraordinary work.”

At its heart, “The Messenger” examines “the regret and shame of not speaking up versus speaking up and potentially becoming a target,” Chidester said. “The danger of truth. The drive to be a messenger for that truth.”

The title, “The Messenger,” resonates on multiple levels. Each woman is both witness and courier, inheriting stories that demand to be told but learning that telling them comes at a cost. They have choices to make. The play resists simple heroism, suggesting instead that courage is complicated.

Rori Flynn. Photo courtesy of Timothy Huynh

There is also a geographical resonance unique to this production. Though previous stagings occurred outside California, the characters themselves are rooted in Southern California.

“Since the characters live in Southern California, this production carries a built-in authenticity,” Chidester noted. “What remains constant across productions is the core of the story.”

The women speak directly to the audience, removing the distance between performer and observer. It is a structure that invites not passive viewing but active engagement.

“I think audiences will respond to the intimacy of this storytelling,” she said. “And to the honesty of these characters speaking directly to them.”

Chance Theater, long known for bold, contemporary work, underscores that intimacy with postshow talkbacks following each performance.

“I look forward to the conversations this story will inspire,” Chidester said. “With its difficult questions and uncomfortable moments, this play offers much to reflect on.”

Megan Sigler. Photo courtesy of Timothy Huynh

“I feel fortunate to be part of a show that is both bold and relevant,” Chidester said, “and to have the support of a theater that embraces artistic risk.”

In “The Messenger,” four women step forward across decades, their voices distinct yet intertwined. And in a theater in Anaheim, their stories pose a question: When the truth arrives at your door, will you carry it?