James Knudsen and his cast of Fresno City College students have been busily rehearsing for the upcoming premiere on March 1 of “Why Marry?” written by Jesse Lynch Williams.

For two weeks the FCC instructor-turned-director and his small team of performers gather in the theater to run through a play which focuses on the personal and social turmoil of marriage and women’s roles in the early 20th century.

For Knudsen, directing “Why Marry?” is a groundbreaking moment–it is his first time directing a production for FCC despite his background in the world of theater arts spanning back to his high school days. With consideration to the looming premiere, Knudsen looks upon his cast with satisfaction.

“The cast has made some incredible strides. They’ve really taken their notes to heart and they understand they’re on a time crunch,” he said. “One of the things that happened is we lost four days of rehearsal to the festival and so, since Monday, we’ve been catching up,” referring to a theater festival that they attended in Los Angeles.

Esau Mora plays one of the main characters in “Why Marry?” When on stage, he becomes John, a wealthy and highly conservative man more concerned with money and social status than his personal relationships.

The personality and morals of John may be diametric to Mora’s in real life, but his dedication to theatre allows for an effortless melding of these two individuals.

“The audience is there and the audience is a huge part of it … but it really is about the other actor, the other person, and getting to experience something  completely new and being able to share that at the same time,” Mora said.

Similarly, Tamara Veres-Vailant brings depth to her character due to her love for acting. Veres-Vailant portrays the epitome of submissive femininity quite at home in 1917 through her character Lucy, the wife and unhappy partner to John. For this actress, who first experienced theatre arts in her homeland of Germany, bringing characters such as Lucy to life is a form of expression.

“My personal struggle is that I’m very timid and very shy on stage I feel I can really reveal myself. As a vulnerable individual I pretty much put my soul out there with that character,” Veres-Vailant said.

The characteristics Mora and Veres-Vailant explore in their characters on opening night may evolve throughout the performances.

“What we open with on Friday will be a much different show than what we close with two weeks later…  I see them adding new things, I see them getting more refined,” Knudsen said.

For a more personal look at the characters and at “Why Marry?” as a whole, sit down to watch the entire cast of Knudsen’s debut production perform on March 1 through March 9 at the FCC Theatre. Tickets cost $14 for the the general public and $12 for seniors, students and staff.