In Friday's 7 section I have an interview with Fresno City College theater professor Charles Erven about his new production of "Living Out." Here's a continuation of the interview:

Talk a little about the use of projections in the show.

The play calls for a number of locations in Los Angeles. Much of the action shifts back and forth between a home in East L.A. and a home in West L.A. Sometimes action occurs simultaneously in these locations. The projections certainly help define the different homes but they also serve as a wonderful way to have a very “present” feel to the play. The Los Angeles location is very important to the play and the projections evoke the feel of the city in all its moods and energy.

Tell us about your cast.

Living Out requires bi-lingual actors for many of the roles and we were very fortunately to have some fantastic Latino/Latina actors audition. The cast is mostly student actors but there is also a faculty member and a community actor in the mix. I love what happens when community actors are combined with student actors. Everyone has to be on their game and it shows in the production.

Have you ever directed anything written by Lisa Loomer? How do you describe her style?

I’ve never directed a Lisa Loomer play (although she is becoming very popular these days). She has a very clever (almost sneaky) writing style. Her plays are often uniquely structured (as with Living Out in which action occurs in two locations simultaneously). Her dialogue is one of the first things that people comment on because it is very real sounding and yet can contain an almost sit-com rhythm. I say her writing is sneaky because she draws us into her plays by constructing a safe and recognizable place (through funny dialogue for instance) and then she turns what is recognizable on us so that by the end we are at an unexpected place. We laugh and then we realize that maybe it’s not so funny.

I understand that the action of both households sometimes takes place at the same time on the same set. How do you deal with this from a design and acting standpoint?

Some of the challenge is met in the scene and lighting design and some is in the flow pattern of the action. Once the first scene happens the audience will get the convention and then it becomes a natural place for the audience. The play unfolds is a series of parallels and the parallels are best dramatized by literally placing characters in the same space (even though one story is happening in Huntington Park and the other in Santa Monica.) The parallels become ironic and funny and very theatrical.

How do you balance the comic elements of the play with the more serious issues it addresses?

Because the play is at core a play about real people in real situation much of the comedy comes from their real behavior. Because of the way it is written…we simply play it straight and let the comedy fall where it may. The challenge is in finding the pace and tone more than anything else. I think that for many “funny” plays there’s a danger in playing it like it’s a comedy. I doubt very seriously the characters in the play think they are in a comedy.

What's your biggest challenge as a director with this show?

Finding time to sleep.