Collected Stories
Reviewed by David Kashimba
Photo by Eric Chazankin

 “I’m not going to tell you how to write,” says Ruth Steiner (Carol Mayo Jenkins) in Collected Stories now playing at Petaluma’s Cinnabar Theater. “Never pay any attention to what writers say, especially ones that teach.” Steiner is a writer and teacher and she’s speaking to her student Lisa Morrison (Anna Bullard). Her statement is filled with irony piled on top of irony as is this gem of a play by Donald Margulies.

But at first the student doesn’t heed her teacher’s words, too enamored with the books the teacher has written: “Studying with you is like a religious experience,” says Lisa. But in time Lisa heeds her teacher’s words more than Ruth can bear. The young writer actually takes the stories Ruth has told her in confidence about her own life and turns them into a successful novel.

“You’ve stolen my stories,” Ruth tells Lisa. “What good am I without my stories?”

“What did I do that any good writer wouldn’t have done?” Lisa asks in defense.

“Use your own goddamn life,” Ruth says. “Don’t thumb a ride on mine. Hitchhiker!”

This is not a drama about an ideal teacher student relationship in which each benefits the other. Indeed, both are feeding off each other like vampires in the dark, but the resulting dramatic action is very interesting, and out of this darkness, some hard lessons are learned about life and death.

Don’t miss this powerful drama directed by Elizabeth Craven and starring two of the Bay Area’s best actresses. For tickets or more information call (707) 763-8920 or visit www.cinnabartheater.org.

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