Studies show that laughter is associated with the release of tension.

To keeping audiences laughing when things are tight, Natalie Symons’ play “The People Downstairs” will have its
West Coast premiere at Key City Public Theatre.

Opening night will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1 with regular shows running Thursday to Sunday; Friday and Sunday matinees are at 1:30 p.m. through Feb. 26.

This dark but sweet comedy about loneliness and loss, laughter and love, and the need to be seen follows the relationship between a father and daughter.

The play is set in a house in Buffalo, New York.

“Just by looking at the house you can see how run down it is and how dysfunctional things are. It’s almost to a hoarder type of situation,” said Brendan Chambers, who is directing the production.

“In the top of the show you see that the stairs are completely filled to where it’s completely impassable. They don’t even use the upstairs anymore because it’s completely blocked with stuff,” Chambers said.

Hence, “The People Downstairs.”

In the story, the glue of the family, the mother, has passed away and things have begun falling apart.

The father falls into alcoholism and is just starting to show signs of dementia, while the daughter has been losing her vision ever since she was 7 years old.

Funny stuff.

“It’s a drama-dey,” said Denise Winter, Key City Public Theatre’s artistic director.

“The playwright definitely considers it a comedy, and I would say overall it’s a comedy, but it touches on a lot of darker themes,” Chambers added.

They’ve decided to rate the play PG-13 because of the representation of mental illness and strong language in the play.

“It’s situational; it’s like the situation that they’re in is so absurd to the point where we feel comfortable to laugh,” Chambers said.

“The characters are also so well written to be funny,” he added.

The production will feature a cast familiar to the theatre’s stage with Heather Dudley-Nollette (from “Women in Jeopardy”), Maude Eisele (“Sea Marks”), Brace Evans (“Hamlet”), and Allen Fitzpatrick (“A Christmas Carol”).

The play first came to the theatre’s attention through Fitzpatrick, who had originally rehearsed the role for the world premiere of the play in Florida just before the pandemic.

After memorizing his lines and mastering the part just days before the curtain was set to rise, theaters across the world shut down.

Fitzpatrick then returned home to the Pacific Northwest where he brought the idea of bringing the play to Key City Public Theatre.

The play’s themes fit well with what Winter wanted to bring to the community as the theatre began coming out of the shadow of the last three years.

“I wanted to tell stories this year that reflected back what we’ve all been reflecting on, and that is this kind of coming back to family. Or, for those who weren’t near family, the loneliness of not having a connection,” Winter said.

In addition to the shows, there will be a chance to hear from the author of the play mid-run at a free panel discussion on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Tickets can be found at the box office three hours prior to curtain or in advance at keycitypublictheatre.org/thepeopledownstairs.