After a long, pandemic-induced break, Hyde Park Theatre has gotten back to the business of live theater. This month, they opened the world premier production of ’s Running Bear. The two-actor play stars Mical Trejo and Macy Butler as Lucas and Emily, two people who unexpectedly meet on a bridge and � at least at first � appear to be polar opposites.
Butler says that upon reading the script, she immediately identified with the role. “When I read this script, Emily felt super-familiar, because I feel like in a lot of ways I’ve been in her position," she says. "And the writing was absolutely � it is absolutely gorgeous. And as soon as I read that script, I was like, ‘this is a person with a story that I want to be able to inhabit and do justice [to].’�
Trejo doesn’t have quite as much in common with his character. “Lucas is a little bit of a tougher stretch for me,� he says with alaugh. “He’s a little bit more, I would say, on the boomer side of things, and I’d like to think I’m a little bit more open minded and liberal. But certainly there are some elements � especially his journey through the corporate world. It’s a journey I’m familiar with, and he confronts some very sensitive situations in regards to his race and fitting in. And, you know, that’s been a challenge for me and I’m sure for Macy � we’re both not white, and things are a little different for folks like us. And so Lucas has done the best he could to address all that, and I admire that about him.�
Trejo’s firmly a member of Generation X, but says Lucas feels like someone who’s a little further into middle age. “When I first read the description that he was middle aged, I was like, ‘wait, I guess&²Ô²ú²õ±è;±õ’m middle aged!’â€� he says. “But he’s a complex person and I think it’s somebody that even Gen Xers are going to â€� and anybody, really â€� is going to relate to, because there’s some frustrations that he surfaces that are common, that transcend age. Now, would I wear the shapeless khakis that he wears? Probably not.â€�
“Dadwear?� Butler adds with a laugh.
“Yeah, he’s full-on dadwear!� Trejo agrees.
Butler, on the other hand, had to imagine herself just a bit younger. “Having to get into that seventeen-year-old mindset � it wasn’t a million years ago,� she says. “And so there was a lot of� reading my own personal journal and being like, ‘oh my goodness, I was angsty! And I was this, like, not necessarily dramatic, but definitely expressive about the way I felt.’�
The core of Running Bear is the way in which these two characters start to move past their obvious differences. “There’s some breaking down of those initial barriers when meeting a stranger. And then over time, these two people in this moment on this bridge are there to process some very similar traumas,� Trejo says. “It starts off kind of playful and adversarial, but it goes to a really special place.�
“The difference between these two people is recognized at the very beginning of the play � it’s made very clear that they are not expecting to find any good out of each other,� Butler says. “And to see, you know, kind of a 180 in that, in subtle ways� I think it’s kind of beautiful because that connection with somebody that is nothing like you � at least you think that � and to find out you’re actually a lot more alike than you thought is really important. And I think a lot more people would benefit from being able to have that experience. And so I think to see it on stage is such a gift.�
