Eason explores changing notions of intimacy at Steppenwolf

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Laura Eason (left) confers with "Sex With Strangers" director Jessica Thebus at Steppenwolf Theatre. | Al Podgorski ~ Sun-Times

Updated: April 28, 2011 4:46AM

In the summer of 2009, just as her smart, erotically charged, very 21st century play, “Sex with Strangers,” was receiving its trial-balloon run as part of Steppenwolf Theatre’s First Look Repertory of New Plays project, writer-director Laura Eason began work on the first draft of her stage adaptation of Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton’s 1911 novel.

Now, in what is quite a commandeering of prestigious Chicago stages, a revised version of “Sex,” directed by Jessica Thebus, is about to debut at Steppenwolf Upstairs, while the world premiere of “Ethan Frome” will open at Lookingglass Theatre in February, with Eason directing.

Both stories deal with the consequences of unexpected passion. “Sex” spins around two writers — a hot, 24-year-old blogger who, ironically enough, is named Ethan, and an almost-40 novelist, Olivia, who is skittish about technology. “Ethan Frome,” set in a New England town in the late 19th century, recalls a catastrophic triangle involving the title character, his ailing wife, and the wife’s young cousin, who briefly serves as a caretaker and who sets Ethan’s heart on fire.

“These two works are complementary,” said Eason, a Lookingglass ensemble member who now lives in Brooklyn. “Both are complicated love stories, with interesting parallels and contrasts.”

“‘Sex with Strangers’ has a great deal to do with intimacy, and what it has come to mean at this moment in time when so much of our private lives is exposed to the world as a result of technology,” Eason said. “But intimacy also is at the heart of ‘Ethan Frome,’ and in each story, there is a crazy, unexpected spark of love that causes chaos.”

“And sure, it is easy to say, ‘Oh, if the morals and economics of Frome’s time were different, he could just have gotten a divorce.’ But even now we understand how very hard it is to extract ourselves from a relationship and all its shared history. So I think there is a universal truth in Wharton’s book that will be familiar to many people, especially those who have made the commitment of marriage.” (Eason is married to actor Eric Lochtefeld, and is the mother of a year-old daughter.)

In “Sex,” Ethan is a widely followed blogger who chronicles his sexual conquests. But when Olivia finds herself in his cyberspace, she is shaken.

“Olivia is not someone of the generation who easily makes all personal things public,” Eason said. “So these two people suggest an interesting intersection of their ages, and the times they grew up in. When you date in the more traditional way, you decide when and what to share with the other person. But now, with Facebook and all the rest, you see pictures and share so much information with manyother people. And you have to wonder: What is the conversation on a first date now? And how can anyone ever change when whatever has been posted stays there forever?”

Eason added: “I think it’s really a struggle to figure out what to put out into the world now. And with Ethan and Olivia, it’s further complicated because they are both artists and she is more old school and hierarchical, while he just goes directly to people.”

Eason has dealt with these issues herself.

“Is it more affirming to see your work praised by a small group of critics, or to get feedback from everyone on the Web, be on a best-seller list and make money? I have very mixed feelings about all that. True, now you can put your book or music online for practically no money and get an amazing response. But there is no filter anymore, so anyone can put anything of any value out there. I guess the new way, where so many more voices are exposed, is ultimately better for creative types. But as with any big change, there are real pros and cons.”

Not surprisingly, there already is a great deal of national interest in “Sex with Strangers.” But Eason has a slew of other projects in the works, too: The book for a new musical based on Gorky’s play, “Summerfolk,” with a score by Alan Schmuckler; a new play, “The Undeniable Sound of Right Now,” and a film adaptation of Adam Langer’s Chicago-rooted book, Crossing California.

“I work at night when the baby is sleeping,” Eason said.

♦“Ethan Frome” will run Feb. 23-March 4 at Lookingglasss Theatre, 821 N. Michigan. Tickets, $20-$62. Call (312) 337-0665; lookingglasstheatre.org.