'Love, Loss' and a fresh start for one Valley theater veteran

Mary Ruth Lynn is relaxing in the theater space on the second floor of Selah Restaurant.

It’s a warm and comfortable room, and it has become a second home for the local theater veteran.

Lynn is directing a series of plays this season in the cabaret space in downtown Struthers.

She began with “Mr. Lincoln” in the fall. Up next is “Love, Loss and What I Wore,” which opens Friday.

Selah dessert theater — so named because patrons enjoy a treat at intermission — has proved to be a perfect fit for Lynn.

The low-stress environment was a soft landing spot for the former managing director of the Youngstown Playhouse.

Lynn was ousted by the Playhouse board a year ago, a move that blindsided her. She admits to still feeling a bit shaken

At first, she entertained offers to direct plays at other local theaters but turned them down.

Then came the Selah offer.

“When the Playhouse job ended, I had no clue what I would do,” said Lynn. Then one day she ran into local actress Joyce Jones, who suggested she call Brian Palumbo, who is the director of Top Hat Productions and co-owner of Selah.

Lynn was reluctant to do so. “I didn’t want to get involved with big musical productions at Top Hat,” she recalled, “My love is the smaller, intimate shows.” At this point, it must be noted that Lynn is the founder of the successful Griffith-Adler series of nonmainstream drama in the Youngstown Playhouse’s Moyer Room.

Despite her concerns, Lynn did call Palumbo. “He said, ‘You are going to be the answer to my prayers,’” recalled Lynn. “He was too busy with Selah and Top Hat to program the upstairs space and was going to rent it out if nothing came up.”

Lynn put together a three-play season and is serving as director for each production. The plays have brought fresh faces into the theater audience, not to mention a few more diners into the restaurant.

“It’s not a paying job,” said Lynn. “But I didn’t expect one. I’ve never had a paying job in theater, with the exception of at the Playhouse. I always did it because I love it. I love to see what comes to life on stage.”

Lynn said Selah has been a great fit for her. “There is no ego here, no agenda,” she said. “The first show was just stress free. It was 15 minutes before opening night, and I was completely relaxed.” That is something that has never happened before, she said.

Lynn has not returned to the Playhouse since her ouster, but she said the blow is fading. “I landed in the right spot,” she said. “I found a wonderful family here and couldn’t ask for a better situation.”

The Selah position brought a positive conclusion to a trying year for Lynn. The Playhouse firing was followed by the death of her mother in October.

“I had my mom to take care of, and the Playhouse job,” she said. “Then all of a sudden I had nothing.”

Although she considers herself retired now, Lynn — at 68 — is still quite busy. In addition to her work at Selah theater, she also has returned to her hobby of quilting. “I rehabbed my mother’s sewing machine,” she said. “It’s 50 years old and sews up a storm.”

But first there is “Love, Loss and What I Wore.”

The play, a long-running hit in New York, was adapted for the stage by Nora and Della Ephron, It gives an insight into the lives of a group of women.

“Details of their lives are brought back to them by articles of clothing,” said Lynn. “A prom dress, a wedding gown, maternity clothes. Humor comes from the situations of the characters, but it also tackles serious issues, such as cancer.”

Lynn said the 90-minute play — not including intermission — will resonate with women and “men who can’t understand women.”

The cast includes Traci McQuillan, Kris Harrington, MaryCatherine Borsic McMahon, Denise Sculli, Stacy Anderson and Regina Reynolds. Michael Hinge is assistant director.

Curtain times are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and again Feb. 27 and 28. Tickets are $17.50 and include dessert and coffee. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Call 800-838-3006 or go to brownpapertickets.com.

To make dinner reservations at Selah, call 330-755-2759.

The blackbox venue holds only 30 to 40 people at cocktail tables, and maybe 50 when in standard seating configuration.

The inaugural season at Selah will wrap up in May with “The Gin Game,” starring Terry Shears and Amy Anne Kibler.