THE STORY: Ray Miller’s isolated Wisconsin farm is at the center of the Western Hemisphere’s northern half. To Ray, this isn’t geographic trivia. For a decade, this precise spot has been a place to connect with his deceased wife. But on a frigid December day, two geocachers stumble onto his spot, threatening to share Ray’s private miracle with the world.
KMP: How did you get started writing plays?
Rebecca: This is my first play. I didn’t really set out to be a playwright-it just kind of happened during Covid. As many people were, I was forced to be creative and think outside the box. A lot of people discovered things about themselves during that time period. I was using the process to process a lot of my own grief. In the end, I had fun writing it and it helped with some healing.
KMP: What was your inspiration for this play?
Rebecca: I remember finding out about that geolocation, that actual place, and just being blown away that out of the entire world, here’s that one geographical center of a hemisphere, and it’s right here in Wisconsin, and it’s the only spot like that on land in the world. And then my mind went to: What if it’s an intersection of other things?
KMP: What are some of the things you love most about this play?
Rebecca: I love many of the characters, especially Ray. He was the most enjoyable to develop. He’s that guy that everybody knows. He’s a conglomeration of some of the men I’ve known. I also love the idea of the possibility of the “what if”; the supernatural aspect of the play.
KMP: What is your writing process like:
Rebecca: Besides slow? It definitely happens in spurts of creativity. I could be doing something completely different, and I’d have my phone with me, and suddenly I’d get some idea for dialogue, or a concept, or where the story can go, and I would jot it in my notes or risk forgetting. I got the first scene done very quickly. Then I got the first half done. Then, the very end. But I didn’t have the middle. That took four years to finish. When I finally went to visit the site in Poniatowski, WI in the summer of 2021, I went with a college friend of mine. We visited the confluence together. That October she took her own life. The last place I saw her was the confluence. The play is dedicated to her memory.
KMP: What was your reaction when KMP reached out to you about producing your play?
Rebecca: I was… I don’t know how to express it. I was in disbelief. Surprised. Delighted. Dumbfounded. Until I actually see it, until I see people on the stage, until I’m sitting in the audience and watching that play on stage, it’s still not real. And I also want to say how grateful I am for this opportunity. From initially sending KMP my play, to all the communication I’ve received from you as an organization, it’s apparent that it’s well run and very organized. You do really cool things, and edgy things. I wish you were closer. I wish I was closer.
KMP: What are you hoping for from this production:
Rebecca: I hope that people can find something in it that speaks to them-that’s relatable. I’m hoping that audiences love it. I’m hoping that people who see it are inspired and tell people about it. I hope actors enjoy performing in it. I hope that when it goes to competition, that it does well there too. I want KMP to win. I have so many friends and people who can’t wait to see this play that I still can’t believe I wrote. I hope it’s successful and that KMP is successful. What else can I hope for?
Rebecca Richards has been a speech pathologist for 37 years and an actor for 20 years, performing in a variety of community theaters. For the past seven years, she has thoroughly enjoyed working as a dialect coach with high school students, community theater productions, and private clients. This play is her first, beginning as an idea during COVID and growing into a completed work four years later. Her heartfelt hope is that each audience member will find something familiar within its pages, because we have all experienced loss in some way. May this story offer a moment of connection, reflection, and perhaps even comfort.