By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. — A decade after it was first written, How the Stars Used to Shine There is finally getting a fresh life on stage at Theatre 3. Co-written by Michelle Lawson-Hughes and Jenny Hoffman, the play explores what happens after a relationship ends and what might be said if two people had one last chance to talk.
“Jenny and I, we’ve been writing partners for over a decade now,” says Lawson-Hughes. “We actually wrote this show 10 years ago.”
The idea began with a simple but emotionally charged concept. “I had this image in my brain of there being a line down the center of the stage, and so the characters existed on their own sides of the stage,” says Lawson-Hughes. “But having this conversation post breakup, and if you’re going to have that conversation, you know, what would you say?”
That question drives the play’s structure as it follows exes Adrian and Sam through flashbacks and reflection, revealing the beauty and the messiness of love. The script also draws from real experiences. Lawson-Hughes shares that she was going through “not the healthiest relationship and breakup” while writing, and the team also gathered anonymous breakup stories from others to ground the work in authenticity.
One of the most distinctive elements of the production is its double casting. Each weekend features four different pairings of actors, allowing audiences to see how gender identity and individual performance choices shape the story.
“It’s been drastically different between the four of them,” says Lawson-Hughes. “It’s the same words, the same script, but the actors are doing such different work with it.”
Those differences can even shift audience perception of the characters. “One of the characters, Adrian, initially reads as the more toxic and volatile one,” says Lawson-Hughes. “But then with the actors, you’re just like, ‘Oh no, maybe Sam is the problem here.’”
Lawson-Hughes is also serving as producer and stage manager for this production, giving her a unique perspective on the piece. Having performed in an earlier version, she now gets to watch the story unfold from the outside.
“It’s just been so much fun to be able to watch it and see mine and Jenny’s words really come to life in a way that I didn’t get to experience,” says Lawson-Hughes.
Beyond the performance itself, the production is also making space for community support. The Domestic Violence Resource Center will host a booth at performances, part of a broader effort to connect audiences with resources when engaging with difficult themes.
The play does not shy away from those themes. It includes language and references to emotional abuse, and Lawson-Hughes encourages audiences to be mindful of content warnings.
At its core, the team hopes the show resonates on a deeply human level. “I hope that they’re able to reflect on both,” says Lawson-Hughes, referring to the beauty and messiness of relationships. “I hope that they draw inspiration from it, that they feel seen, that they feel heard.”
With multiple cast iterations and a story rooted in shared experiences, How the Stars Used to Shine There invites audiences not just to watch, but to reflect on their own relationships and the conversations they wish they could still have.
How the Stars Used to Shine There runs April 16 through April 25 at The Box Annex (100 Gold Ave SW). Shows are at 7 p.m. on April 16 through 17 and 23 through 24, with additional performances at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on April 18 and 25. Each performance features a different cast pairing, with select bilingual shows. Tickets are sold at the Theatre 3 website (theatre3abq.com).