The View From The ‘Porch’

When the Nomadic Theatre Collective presents its production of Jeffrey Sweet’s play “Porch,” it will be, quite fittingly, performed on an actual porch.

“I’ve loved this play for a long time, and I have always wanted to do it set on a porch in an actual neighborhood,” says director Jacob Christiansen, who directed “Barefoot in the Park” at the Arts Center of the Ozarks last November. “It’s an hour in the life of these characters as they hang out on their front porch.”

Sweet’s drama tells the story of a big-city girl returning to her smalltown roots and the familial and romantic entanglements that she left behind.

“It’s a really complicated, messy play about the past and how it comes back at us,” says Christiansen. “There’s a kind of painful beauty to what goes on between the characters. It’s tenderly written, and the actors in this production are doing such a good job. These are just earnest people, living their lives the best way they can.”

The production runs today and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at 305 N. Washington Ave. in Fayetteville. Christiansen suggests patrons bring lawn chairs or blankets to sit on. Admission is free, but donations will be taken at the end of the play.