By Liz Eichler
Something special is happening at Know Theatre right now. Actually, multiple things. But let’s start with Constellations by Nick Payne, starring Caitlyn McWethy and Phineas Clark.
The Story and Theme
Marianne (McWethy), a physicist, and Roland (Clark), a beekeeper, meet at a barbecue. From that first encounter, a multitude of possibilities unfold. They might begin a meaningful relationship–or it could be a hard pass. Each possibility branches into countless outcomes: marriage, betrayal, illness, reunion. All of it can exist at once. The play reflects a central idea in quantum physics–that time may not be linear, or even “real” in the way we experience it. Roland and Marianne’s romance lives in the universe as a constellation of possibilities. Everything you’ve ever done–and never done–exists somewhere.
First, kudos to Bridget Leak, Artistic Director, and Director of this show and her board for including this insightful play in their season, and for placing it around Valentine’s Day. Constellations is not only a master class in acting, but also a mirror for anyone who has ever been in a relationship. In every moment, there are multiple choices. Do you act from generosity, nurturing your partner’s goodness? Or do you protect yourself, hide something, pull away? Even when the words are identical, intention alters everything — and intention reshapes the response. (A little Salesian philosophy tucked inside quantum theory.)
Performances
This two-person show is, quite simply, a mind-bending acting feat. A handful of seemingly ordinary lines are repeated again and again, but with shifts in motivation that completely transform their meaning. It’s like watching an acting exercise elevated to the highest professional level: same language, different stakes, entirely new emotional landscape.
McWethy is brilliant. She pivots in seconds, adjusting tone, posture and breath, recalibrating Marianne’s inner life with precision. Clark matches her beat for beat, moving fluidly from casual charm to tenderness to selfishness. Both handle their British accents with ease.
She offers an opening line. He deflects. Reset. She offers it again–slightly altered. This time he softens. A light shift. Another variation. Sometimes she holds the emotional power; sometimes she hands it to him; sometimes she’s too wounded to hold anything at all. Watching the power dynamic recalibrate in real time is mesmerizing.
Production Team
The set (Melissa Bennet) deserves its own moment of praise. Before the show, it appears soft and cloud-like. But as the lighting (Marly Wooster) shifts, structure emerges beneath the white forms, suggesting galaxies, neural pathways, the delicate threads of string theory. Know’s designers have often beautifully invoked the sky in past productions, but this may be my favorite iteration. Each scene is punctuated by a brief but notable moment of sound (Trey Tatum). Noelle Wedig-Johnston ensures the team has the perfect clothing. Julia Guichard (Dialect Coach) guided their British accents.
Leak has assembled a superb team, and ensures the show moves at a brisk pace and shows every facet of the relationship as it crystalizes, shatters, reforms, and soars into the universe. Additional support for this nuanced play includes: Technical Director Drew Homan, Stage Manager Rebecca Armstrong, Intimacy Coordinator E Carr, Ri Moodie Fight Choreography, Cincinnati State ASL Interpreter Training Program, and Carman at Blue Grass Care Navigators.
Conclusion
You will ruminate on this play. I certainly am. Each brief scene expands the emotional universe. We witness the beginning of a relationship (or not). The middle. The end. Or perhaps a return to the beginning. The structure itself suggests that love may not be linear, that we are always looping through choices, versions, and might-have-beens.
Maybe those late-night mental replays of a conversation — the “what if I’d said…” — aren’t just anxiety. Maybe they reflect possibility. “Time is not relevant to atoms.” If time is elastic, if destiny is not fixed, then every possibility exists simultaneously. The question becomes: are you centering on yourself–or choosing the good of another?
Constellations runs through February 22, 2026 at Know Theatre. See it. Sit with it. Talk about it. Get tickets to Constellations HERE.
But Wait There’s More
Simultaneously, another creative force is at work at Know: Serials. These Monday night installments of original playwriting have been selling out — and for good reason. The concept: five brand-new plays by local playwrights, presented in 15-minute episodes every two weeks, over five installments. At the finale, the audience votes on which piece will receive a full production. Miss an episode? No problem. Each performance opens with a “previously on…” recap to catch everyone up.
Explore Serials HERE. Explore Know’s full season full of possibilities. See Fringe deadlines, added events, Industry Nights and community programming. Witness a theatre committed to accessibility, inclusion, and artistic risk.
