Stumptown Players explore the single life with 'Looking'

In keeping with its summer tradition of high comedy, Stumptown Players presents “Looking” by Canadian playwright Norm Foster beginning Wednesday.

“It’s a hilarious show. We’re so excited about it,” Director Kim Krueger said, adding that Foster is “Canada’s Neil Simon, so it has that kind of humor in it. He’s a very popular writer.”

The play features Val, an operating room nurse; Andy, who is in the storage business; police officer Nina; and Matt, the host of a morning radio show. They’re all middle-aged, single and “looking.”

“It’s so real to life,” Krueger said. “You will find yourself in one of these characters, and that’s, I think, the amazing thing about the show.”

The show begins with a free preview at 8 p.m. Wednesday in the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish.

Opening night is Aug. 2. The play will also be staged Aug. 3 and 4, and Aug. 7-11. Show time is 8 p.m. each night.

On Aug. 2 and Aug. 9, the Stumptown Players will host a special “looking” night, when singles are especially invited to attend the show, Krueger said.

“Maybe they can find somebody else to go out on a date with,” she said. “That’s what the whole show is about: people trying to find love for the second or third or fourth time.”

Singles night will include gift certificates for two to local restaurants, which will be raffled off during intermission, Krueger said.

She says she understands what the characters in the play are going through, which helped prompt the decision to hold the “looking” nights.

“I was married two years ago, and I was 40. I was on the market for a long time,” she said. “I know what it’s like to be out there. You can’t always find a place to go to meet people, if you’re not meeting them in bars.”

Tickets are $18 each for general admission. Free snacks will be served at the play, and wine, beer and champagne will be available for purchase.

For more information, call 871-6447.