Directing Parallel Lines was an intimate and rewarding experience that allowed me to explore profound themes of grief, distance, and connection through the lens of a couple grappling with the loss of their daughter. Given the play's brevity, being a 10 minute play for my Directing Final, and limited backstory, I dedicated an entire rehearsal to collaboratively building the characters’ history with my actors. Together, we fleshed out an intricate backstory for the couple, beginning with details as far back as the bar where they first met in college, progressing through key moments in their relationship, and ending with the painful unraveling that led to their separation. This in-depth character work gave my actors a vivid, shared context to draw from, transforming their interactions on stage into something deeply layered and authentic. My actors still speak about how grounding and useful this process was in bringing the play to life, as it provided them with a foundation that enriched each line and movement with personal, unspoken history.

Staging the play in a thrust setup, I used the length and width of the stage to keep the actors physically separated for most of the performance, highlighting their emotional distance. Each remained on their own side of the stage, moving in parallel as if trapped in separate worlds of grief, yet bound by their shared loss. It wasn’t until the final moment of reconciliation that they reached out, touching for the first time—a simple gesture made powerful by the emotional journey we had crafted in rehearsal. This experience underscored for me the power of physical space and subtle movement in storytelling, as well as the importance of giving actors a fully realized world to inhabit, even in a short piece. Directing Parallel Lines allowed me to witness the transformation that can occur when actors have a strong connection to their characters' backstories, and it reaffirmed my belief in the value of detailed, immersive character work in any production.