‘Spy for Spy’ Plays with the Idea of a Play as a Playlist

Ventura playwright Kieron Barry’s latest work, Spy for Spy, is a two-character romantic comedy that’s also a memory play, and a mixed-up one at that. There are six scenes that serve as snapshots of significant moments in the relationship between high-strung lawyer Sarah and free-spirited aspiring actress Molly. These include when they first fall in love, meet each other’s parents, vacation together, and break up – at least temporarily. 

Sounds straightforward. 

The thing is, the scenes are presented in no particular order, shuffled as they are  into a random sequence by the audience each night. It was a concept that came to Barry during the pandemic. 

“It seemed to be a time of reflection where there was a global meditation on what it meant to share your life with someone,” he explained, “…with all the questions and curiosities that brings up – especially as you think about past relationships. At the same time, I realized that the way we remember things can be random, with no system or logic. It feels like we’re not in control of our memories. They just come in any sort of whimsical order. I became intrigued with the notion of making the play have that same sort of structure.”

To transcend mere gimmickry, Barry constructed each scene with its own story that played with time within itself, bringing an inner sense of logic to the non-linear sequencing. 

“It’s absolutely littered with things that happen in the wrong order, so that it’s actually the theme,” he said. “Surprisingly, it helps create the purity of what it feels like to be in a relationship.” 

The effect is the theatrical equivalent of selecting the random button on a Spotify playlist, Barry said. 

“It’s a different experience depending on the order of the scenes every night, just as we might reassess your understanding of a particular song depending on the songs that come before and after. I wanted to replicate that sensation in the theater. Do our lives make more sense in the wrong order?”

Barry promised that there are enough clues so that the audience won’t get lost in the non-chronological telling of the story.

“Love is its own complicated game, but there’s enough of a breadcrumb trail that you’ll be able to understand the relationship, no matter what the order,” he said. 

But if it’s a challenge to people watching the play, it also keeps the actors on their toes as they have different cues and transitions every performance – there are 720 different possible sequencing of the scenes. 

Fortunately, Barry and director Michael Massey are working with a nimble cast comprised of Meeghan Holaway, for whom Barry wrote the part of Sarah, and Andrea Flowers as Molly. 

“They’re both sensational,” he said. 

Spy for Spy performs September 21 & 22, and October 12 & 13 at The Black Box, Montecito resident Kerrilee Gore’s private theater club downtown.  

Visit www.spyforspyplay.com