Visual art for the series of “Front Room” performances at the Pablo Center in Eau Claire. Richard Kalinoski, the show's original playwright, said the sunflower acts as an important symbol throughout the play. (Artwork by Emily Esser)

Amongst the vibrant tapestry of Chippewa Valley performing arts, one acclaimed playwright has emerged across many decades of success. Richard Kalinoski, a former professor of theater arts at several Universities of Wisconsin, is on a persistent quest for the “light of truth.”

In his forthcoming production of “Front Room” – with 10 performances slated from July through August at the Pablo Center at the Confluence (128 Graham Ave., Eau Claire) – Kalinoski explores dynamics between mother and daughter, where one must protect another from the realities of a hoarding disorder.

Kalinoski, whose collection of plays have been brought to stages across the country and globally – from Broadway in New York to Paris and Russia – communicate various forms of human tragedy, he said.

Ultimately, he aims to magnify how communities – in differing degrees of progress and challenge – can triumph through hope, forgiveness and love. In “Front Room,” Kalinoski draws from semi-autobiographical experiences within his own family systems.

The play centers on Sandra, a middle-aged woman and professor of theater at a small college, in her attempts to safeguard her mother – a “desperate hoarder.” Abby, Sandra’s mother, discovers secretive ways to obstruct her daughter’s opportunity for meaningful connection and production of her own play, “The Glass Menagerie.”

“One of the things you would notice about ‘Front Room’ specifically – and probably most of my work – is people have an emotional rationale for not saying certain things at certain times,” Kalinoski said of his writing.

“Characters sometimes have to live in silence … What interested me was the dilemma for the person who has to negotiate around the family member who is the hoarder,” he continued.

“What interested me was the dilemma for the person who has to negotiate around the family member who is the hoarder.”

richard kalinoski

playwright, director and producer of "Front Room"

Through an arsenal of rich characters, Kalinoski animates these bittersweet narratives – aided by a troupe of distinguished performers from local and national stages. “Front Room” at the Pablo Center will star Equity actors Jason Duga, Pamela Vogel, Andrea Uppling and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire alumna Molly Wilson.

Rehearsals for the local production are set to begin at the end of June, Kalinoski said. From July 16 through Aug. 2 in the Pablo Center’s Marilyn Schaefer Riverfront Hall, performer and set design will transform what Kalnoski describes as a “capacious room” into a room complete with an avalanche of household possessions.

“Much of the set has to be physically present and convincing as clutter – clutter which, for lack of a better word, has to be understood as dangerous and a threat to the resident’s health,” Kalinoski said.

While Kalinoski has become most recognized for his award-winning production of “Beast On The Moon” – performed in more than 20 countries and translated into over a dozen languages – “Front Room” offers many of the traits Kalnoski considers essential to his work in the arts.

Richard Kalinoski, playwright and emeritus professor of theater arts in the Universities of Wisconsin, pictured above. (Submitted photo)

His plays, both in their physical location and imaginative narration, include international influences from Armenian to African-American.

In “Front Room,” audiences will find Iraqi identities represented. A budding affection between Sandra and Tyler – a veteran of the Iraq war and cast member in her play – becomes endangered due to Abby’s surreptitious attempts at sabotage. 

Through symbolism, such as the sunflower, Kalinoski utilizes physical artifacts to emulate connection, heartbreaking nostalgia and what memories remain in fractured family dynamics.

“Without giving too much away, I would say Sandra wants peace between herself and her mother – and peace for her mother,” Kalinoski said.

While “Front Room” has been performed through online podcasts and live readings nationwide, this upcoming local iteration marks yet another new opportunity for Kalinoski. As producer, director and original playwright, he will realize the play’s first official run with cast and crew at the Pablo Center.

Collectively, all involved intend to further animate Kalinoski’s exploration of profound human experiences.

Tickets to Richard Kalinoski’s “Front Room” – from July 16 through Aug. 2 at The Pablo Center at the Confluence (128 Graham Ave., Eau Claire) can be purchased online ($34.80+/person) at pablocenter.org. Learn more about Kalinoski’s collection of award-winning plays, online at richardkalinoski.com.