"We've all met been somewhere or seen someone or had a conversation in passing that for whatever reason has stuck with us," says director Mark Liermann, describing the premise of Western Michigan University Theatre's production of "The Coast Starlight," which opens Friday, Jan 30 and runs through February 15.
The play by Keith Bunin takes an unconventional approach to storytelling. Rather than following a linear narrative, the drama unfolds in a dreamlike reunion where six strangers who shared an overnight train ride from Los Angeles to Seattle years earlier gather to discuss what might have been. During the original journey, each passenger was experiencing a momentous—often difficult—life transition, but they barely spoke to one another.
"These six characters who at the time of riding the train in the past were all going through a momentous kind of moment in their lives," Liermann explains. The play explores what they would have said to each other if they had known what their fellow passengers were experiencing.
Senior musical theatre major Marynn Barney plays Liz, describing her as "a force of nature" with big energy who still grapples with very human emotions and worries. For Barney, this marks both her first play and her final WMU production before graduating and showcasing in New York.
The production, staged in the round at York Theatre, uses only six chairs to represent the train, emphasizing the intimate human connections over elaborate sets. Despite weather-related school closures that disrupted rehearsals, the cast—which rehearsed up to ten hours daily during winter break—has created what Liermann calls "simple conversations that you just kind of get to listen in on."
The play features two characters in their twenties, two in their thirties, and two in their forties, requiring young actors to portray experiences beyond their years—a challenge Liermann considers fundamental to their training.
Tickets are available at wmich.edu/theatre.
This interview was summarized by Claude AI and edited by the author.
