Sonoma County actress onstage every minute of ‘Mary Jane’ welcomes the challenge

Sonoma County stage actress Caitlin Strom-Martin has performed with theater companies all over the North Bay since 2015. But in the Left Edge Theatre production of “Mary Jane,” she has landed a rare gem of a role.

She plays the title character, onstage every minute all evening.

This drama by Amy Herzog now playing at The California theater in Santa Rosa is the story of a single working mother whose young son has multiple serious health issues.

“This is like the ultimate. I usually would be cast as a supporting character,” Strom-Martin said. “This is kind of insane. The way the play is written, it’s extremely challenging.”

If the actor’s last name sounds familiar, that’s because her mother, Virginia Strom-Martin, served in the California State Assembly from 1996 to 2002.

“This is the first time I’ve directed Caitlin,” said Beulah Vega, the show’s director and set designer. “A lot of amazing actresses wanted this part, but then Caitlin walked in and she was Mary Jane. There’s a natural openness about her.”

In the play, the son is never seen, but we learn that little Alex can’t speak or move freely. He has trouble breathing. He’s hooked up to machines in the next room in Mary Jane’s tiny apartment and later at the hospital. A monitor beeps in the background.

The medical costs and financial pressures Mary Jane faces are crushing. Because of her son’s continual health crises, she finds it difficult to hold down a steady job.

At a preview last week, Strom-Martin gave an animated and intense performance, constantly changing vocal inflection, expression and mood.

“I am grateful that Beulah just lets me do whatever, and then reins me in,” Strom-Martin said.

Despite the size of Strom-Martin’s role in the show, both she and Vega stress that this is very much an ensemble production. Four supporting actors — Mary DeLorenzo, Mercedes Murphy, Sarah Dunnavan and Lexus Fletcher — play multiple characters.

Mary Jane draws support from friends, moms facing similar circumstances, a doctor, a nurse and hospital workers, a Buddhist nun and even the superintendent at her apartment building. Sometimes she can offer support in return.

Despite the seriousness of the subject, the script doesn’t burden the audience with relentless gloom. In one scene, Mary Jane and a newfound ally do some online research and try to use the “eight easy steps” to determine the gender of Alex’s pet goldfish. After the first few steps, they give up.

Throughout the play, the dialogue captures the rhythm, flavor and depth of women talking frankly with other women.

“The dynamic that’s building onstage is the dynamic that occurs when women are working with women,” Vega said.

That’s also the theme of the play — women supporting other women — the director explained. In our culture, a woman like Mary Jane can find herself feeling alone in the world.

“As a woman of color, I was raised in communities where we take care of each other,” Vega said. “The other women in the play find Mary Jane and build a community for her.”

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5243. On Twitter @danarts.