(Above: Members of the cast of Seeking Red include, left to right, Joshua Carlton as Cecil Fetter, Tony Rust as Uncle Ty, Darcy Rust as Grey Rhodes, Janet Rust as Emily Ambrose, Blake Nelson as Detective Jacobs; photo by Autumn Wickliffe.)

By Randi Bjornstad

If the name of the playwright of Seeking Red (a new play having its West Coast premiere at the (newly renovated) Cottage Theatre sounds familiar, there’s a good reason.

That’s where Glenn B. Rust, who wrote the play, “grew up doing theater,” Cottage Theatre executive director Susan Goes said in announcing the play.

After he grew up, Rust spent five years in Chicago, first earning a bachelor’s degree in playwriting from Columbia College Chicago (CCC) and then working as technical director for Chicago Dramatists.

So far, Rust has channeled his energies into developing new stage works, whether his own or others’, including at both college and professional levels. His show, Seeking Red, appeared onstage first in 2019, as part of CCC’s Playwriting Senior Showcase.

So it is that Cottage Theatre has the chops to launch Seeking Red‘s West Coast premiere. In addition to that distinction, the play will be the second production of the theater’s 2022 season and will be performed in the recently completely remodeled theater in Cottage Grove.

“I first met playwright Glenn Rust when he was just a young boy, and a participant in our summer melodrama camp,” Goes said. “Watching him grow up, and tackle increasingly complex roles on our stage, has been a joy. Bringing Seeking Red to life at Cottage Theatre has been a true labor of love for all involved, and we are very proud to share the work of this young playwright.”

Here’s the story line for Seeking Red, as described by Cottage Theatre:

This gripping new drama about truth and identity revolves around a young woman named Grey Rhodes. Grey has been raised by her Uncle Ty ever since she was a baby, when her single mother was run over by a semi-truck — or so Grey has been told.

Now in her early twenties, she works as an intern at The Seattle Times, where she’s assigned to work on a story about the Innocence Project. She interviews Cecil, who was recently released from prison after DNA evidence proved him innocent of the murder of his two younger sisters.

As Grey learns more about Cecil’s ordeal, she is struck by inconsistencies in her uncle’s account of her mother’s death. She begins to wonder if there is far more to her mother’s story than she knows.

This intriguing drama will cause you to question the “little white lies” we tell to protect those we love.

Many of those who make up the cast and crew of Seeking Red will be familiar not only to playwright Rust but also to regular attendees at Cottage Theatre’s perennially popular plays.

Kory Weimer directs the production, with lighting design by Amanda Ferguson, assisted by Brittany Foley. Costume design is the work of Chris Carter, with sets by Tony Rust.

The cast includes six players, with Darcy Rust as Grey Rhodes and Tony Rust as Uncle Ty, with supporting roles by Josh Carlton, Janet Rust, Blake Nelson, and Cydney King.

Because of frank discussion of crimes, the play is not recommended for children.

Seeking Red at Cottage Theatre

When: 7:30 p.m. on June 10-11, 16-18, and 23-25; matinees at 2:30 p.m. on June 12, 19, and 26

Where: Cottage Theatre, 700 Village Drive, Cottage Grove

Tickets: Advance reservations are recommended; $15 for youths ages 18 and younger, $27 for adults, available by telephone at 541-942-8001 or online at cottagetheatre.org