Jesse Boy, produced by Mike R. Myers, continues Fri.-Sat., 8 pm; Sun., 2 pm; through June 12. Tickets: $15-$20. Ruskin Group Theatre, 3000 Airport Ave., Santa Monica; 310.397.3244 or ruskingrouptheatre.com.

The world premiere of Robert Mollohan’s Jesse Boy opened April 30 at Ruskin Group Theatre, directed by Karen Landry. We asked playwright Mollohan, who plays Richy in his play, and two other cast members, Chris Mulkey (Red) and Jaimi Paige (Abigayle), about the process of developing a new play.

LA STAGE: Your play is described as a “Southern Gothic tale of one family, trapped by its own tradition.” Would you go into more detail?

Robert Mollohan

MOLLOHAN: The play is about many things. One of the themes that stands out to me is the abuse in different forms passed on from one generation to the next. I understand why some people can’t handle the heavy subject matter but these awful choices people make do happen. The play is also about love, hope, regret, broken dreams and fulfilled ones. People striving to better themselves in a stifling culture. All five characters have wants and desires so the play also takes on each character’s individual journey. This play is a testament of the human spirit. I truly believe we can overcome anything, in life and in death.

LAS: Why did you decide to be in your play? Is it a role you wrote for yourself?

MOLLOHAN: I was living in New York and wasn’t being offered parts that challenge me as an actor. Hell I wasn’t being offered anything really, so in the summer of 2005 I began writing under the brilliant playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis at Maggie Flanigan Studio. I’ve always read the part of Jesse Boy and developed the character for years. The five characters are all close to my heart but I adore Jesse. I discussed it with our wonderfully talented director Karen Landry and our workhorse producer Mike R. Myers and we decided the production would be stronger if I played the part of Richy.

LAS: Did you know the playwright before you were cast? How did you hear about the play?

MULKEY: I met Robert at the Ruskin Theater prior to hearing about his play Jesse Boy. We worked on some scenes in a master class I lead.

PAIGE: I met Robert after a reading of Jesse Boy at Ruskin a few months ago. He was reading the role of Jesse that night. It was quite a trip to read with him as Richy in the auditions after seeing him as Jesse. The man’s got talent.

LAS: During rehearsals did you discover things about your characters that you hadn’t initially written in the play?

MOLLOHAN: I’ve been working on this piece for the past five years and I am confident the characters are very specific and worked out. But then you have a fantastic talent like Chris Mulkey who just takes his character to a whole new level. He would come up with some incredible rhetoric during rehearsals and I would have to stop and write it down, with his permission of course. Karen’s development of the piece is right on. She was able to come in, trim the fat and advise me on a couple additional scenes. Chris, Jaimi and Karen have been a godsend for me. I couldn’t be more fortunate to be working with them.

MULKEY: During rehearsal I found traits in my character, not written that you wanted to explore. Robert was very receptive to this process. We had a lot of fun keeping some and letting others that were fun but outside of Red’s world go by the wayside.

PAIGE: Like any rehearsal process, you have to take a character shown to you through a few scenes and allow her to become a whole person. Both Karen and Robert were open to allowing me to explore and discover and very receptive to my thoughts and ideas. I immediately was drawn to the character and was very happy to have such a collaborative atmosphere.

LAS: Now that the play has opened are you discovering new things during performance and are you making changes in the script?

MOLLOHAN: As a writer I’m very satisfied with the play and haven’t made any changes since the opening. As an actor I’m discovering new things in every performance and proud of the work that everyone at The Ruskin Group Theatre has put forth.

MULKEY: Since opening I am finding aspects of Red that refine my performance while staying within Karen’s direction. That is true of any play. But this is as especially rich script and “the hits just keep on coming.”

PAIGE: Every night you find new things and have new revelations about what you’re seeing, hearing, saying or doing. Rather than changing my performance, though, I would say it helps me be more specific. I think we all have that experience. It’s the beauty of live theatre.

LAS: Do you think you prefer playing a character you helped create as opposed to one that has been performed by dozens of actors before you?

PAIGE: Each of those create very specific challenges. I guess I don’t have a preference because it always really comes down to finding your own truth in whatever role you are playing. That doesn’t really have much to do with anyone else who may or may not have played her before me. You’ve probably heard actresses complain there are not a large number of complex roles written for women, especially in my age range. What struck me at the reading I sat in on was how well I think Robert writes for women. All of the characters are complex and thorough to begin with so Abigayle was really fun to play.

MULKEY: No matter if the role is one that has been done for years or whether you are acting in a new play, as an the actor you are always creating the role. Why? Because it is you who are doing it for the first time. You go through the same in-depth process even if you are remounting a production, as Karen and I did in the Off Broadway productions of Jane Martin’s Flag and Carlyle Brown’s Pure Confidence at 59E59 in New York. Karen reminded me, “This is a different show, make it new.” I said, “Of course, darling!”

LAS: Robert, have you written other plays? If so, have they been produced?

MOLLOHAN: This is my first produced play. I have written a few others but I’m not ready to share them just yet. They need to be workshopped and rewritten before I would submit them.

LAS: Have you heard of established playwrights who keep working on a play, maybe even years after it is first produced? Is that what you would do? Or once it closes, would you prefer not to continue working on it?

MOLLOHAN: When I was cast in the New York premiere of Hiding Behind Comets the playwright Brian Dykstra made very subtle changes during the rehearsal process. I learned a great deal in that production. I’m very open to constructive changes in any field and it would depend on the circumstance whether I would change anything in the current version of this play. My friend Stephen quotes Samuel Beckett at the end of his letters, “Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Over the years this quote has served me well.

LAS: Do you want to continue writing as well as act?

MOLLOHAN: I am a storyteller, I have been fascinated by folklore and storytelling ever since I was a kid. I remember Dr. Byers telling these dark and colorful ghost stories at our local library back in Fairmont. I haven’t stopped writing stories since. I thoroughly love both playwriting and acting and hope to continue both. I’ve been studying screenwriting under the extremely talented Jonny Hirschbein and wrote and directed my first short film entitled Bowman. Directing Bowman was an amazing experience. To have full control over your vision is ideal. To be a storyteller you have to have people that support you. The Ruskin Group Theatre, Pride of the Gypsies and Red Whiskey Films have given me the chance to be a storyteller and I want to thank them.

Feature image of Mulkey, Mollohan and Paige