Katja Latva-Kokko ’26 (left) and Daisy Lopez ’26 (right) portrayed a scene set inside Caroline’s bedroom.
In a single bedroom set in Pan Athletic Center, THD901’s production of “I and You” explored themes of isolation and vulnerability with two singular performers. Written by Lauren Gunderson and directed by Maya Clark ’26, the production was built upon collaboration between the director and performers.
Performer Katja Latva-Kokko ’26, who portrayed the character Antonia, described her experience of acting in “I and You” as her first play.
“It was such an amazing introduction to what theater, or what a play specifically, can be. For me, it was just an opportunity to try something, to maybe make a couple mistakes along the way. But it was such an incredible experience to just perform for people. Specifically with Antonia, I felt like her character is such a complex and beautifully written one that I was just so glad I got to try something like that, and have the audience connect to it,” said Latva-Kokko.
Only played by two people, “I and You” posed challenges such as a large quantity of complex lines varying in length. Daisy Lopez ’26, who performed as Caroline, spoke on the process of rehearsing and putting together the intricate production.
“It wasn’t very stressful to be rehearsing, because our producer Maya [Clark ’26] had a lot of trust in us and was very supportive throughout the process, especially because it’s a two-person play. She understood the circumstances of it being a lot more difficult to memorize lines when it’s only just the two of us. I felt the rehearsal was very loving and welcoming. I didn’t have any sort of stress at all,” said Lopez.
Mila Fan ’28, who attended to support friends in the cast and crew, emphasized how the production’s spatial awareness stood out to her, especially having performed on the same stage before.
“It was really interesting to watch how the actors use the space, having performed on that stage myself. I enjoyed observing the lighting and how they blocked everything, their movement throughout… For the plot twist, the scene and setting didn’t change at all, but they were really able to use the set and tell a story through that, even though there was only one setting or place that they were in,” said Fan.
The heartwarming nature of the dialogue elicited a wide range of emotions from the audience. For attendee Kamryn Cabrera ’28, “I and You” was her first THD901 production. She commended the two-person cast for their performance.
“I thought it was absolutely amazing. I feel like the actors really were able to get fully into character and I really admire the way they were able to show so much emotion on the set, especially with it only being two people. I feel like it was really impressive how they were able to memorize so many lines and then also perform in such an emotional manner,” said Cabrera.
Latva-Kokko shared the lasting message that she hopes the audience leaves the theatre with.
“I hope they walk out of the theater feeling even more grateful for the people around them, and even more connected to the people around them, because you’ll never really know what’s gonna happen,” said Latva-Kokko.
