Chicagoan Steve Scott, an artistic associate and recently retired producer of the Goodman Theatre, knows what he likes when it comes to directing plays.
“I like incipient romances with people coming together in unusual situations,” said Scott, who is directing “Outside Mullingar” for the Buffalo Theatre Ensemble at the College of DuPage. “I like plays about what it is like to get older and how to deal with what you did before in your life and how you can straighten out your life.”
Scott gets all of those things in “Outside Mullingar.”
The romantic comedy, written by John Patrick Shanley, centers on Anthony and Rosemary, two introverted middle-aged misfits who have grown up next to each other on farms in rural Ireland. Anthony is painfully shy and has spent his entire life on a cattle farm. Rosemary fell in love with Anthony at the age of six, and is convinced that they will eventually be a couple. But due to a long-standing land feud between the families, they may lose it all.
“Outside Mullingar” will be presented by the Buffalo Theatre Ensemble at 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and at 3 p.m. Sundays from May 3 to June 3 at the in the Playhouse Theatre of the McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn.
“I consider this play a ‘contemporary Irish fable,'” Scott said. “There are several coincidences and machinations in the plot. The play has serious themes, but it is a very funny play. These people are odd, but recognizable. As the play goes on, you start rooting for them.
“Faith plays a part in the show,” he continued. “The characters have ‘signs from God.’ Their faith tells them to do certain things. An example is when one character wants to propose marriage. He has a ring from his grandmother and he thinks the ring from the grandmother is a sign from God. But he loses the ring. So then that, to him, is a sign from God not to get married. That’s why I call it a fable. It kind of happens in storybook fashion.”
Scott previously directed Buffalo Theatre Ensemble productions of “Romance, Romance” (1998-1999 season), “Art” (2002-2003 season) and “Communicating Doors” (2005-2006 season). Scott was a producer at the Goodman Theatre for more than 35 years, overseeing more than 200 productions. His most recent Goodman directing credits include “Ah! Wilderness,” “Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike” and the 2011 and 2012 editions of “A Christmas Carol.”
“Many times I choose to do projects where I’ve never been before,” Scott said. “They teach me about that world. That is satisfaction for me. It’s kind of like traveling, but you don’t have to go anywhere. It’s a way for me to learn new things.”
‘Outside Mullingar’
When: May 3-June 3
Where: McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn
Tickets: $20-$37
Information: 630-942-4000; www.atthemac.org
Randall G. Mielke is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.