A Conversation with Playwright Terra Taylor Knudson on the Script Development of “Mourning at Sunset”, by James Scarborough

Knudson’s latest work explores familial grief through the lens of generational trauma. Set in Montana during a 24-hour period, the events take place over two days: first for 12 hours on the initial day, then resume one week later on the day of the funeral. the play examines how past decisions reverberate through time, shaping relationships between parents and children. Through dialogue and emotional revelations, the script reveals how secrets can either heal or further fracture strained family bonds. The playwright transforms a contemporary home into both refuge and battleground, with recurring motifs like the broken cabinet door serving as metaphors for persistent dysfunction. The exploration of end-of-life choices, particularly through Katherine’s character, provides a poignant counterpoint to Amanda’s earlier decisions, creating a compelling narrative about facing our darkest moments. Eschewing melodrama for raw authenticity, the characters reveal their truths gradually and naturally. The result illuminates how families navigate loss while wrestling with unresolved trauma.

Terra Taylor Knudson is an award-winning performing artist, producer, and playwright based in Long Beach, California. With a background in classical and musical theatre, she has performed throughout the country. Her critically acclaimed solo show “Willy’s Lil Virgin Queen” was among the top ten solo shows, receiving the Producer’s Encore Award for excellence at the 2017 Hollywood Fringe Festival. In 2004, she founded Olio Theatre Works, producing hundreds of events and original works. Her commitment to arts education has impacted hundreds of primary school children through free theatre experiences. In 2005, she received the Arts Professional of the Year award from the Arts Council of Long Beach.

Below follows an email conversation with the playwright:

JS: The intricate parent-child dynamics between James, Amanda, and Doug reveal your deep understanding of family relationships. What shaped your approach to these complex bonds?

TTK: Thank you for that very kind observation. I was initially inspired by a desire to work again with Ben Green and John Sturgeon, who play James and Doug, respectively, and for whom I created the roles. Because they’re both extremely talented actors able to balance dynamic, multi-faceted characters, I knew I wanted to write something that would give them both a chance to show those particular strengths. At the same time, I was curious to explore what it would be like to play a woman who’s not immediately likeable and who might be viewed as a villain, or at the very least, as an instigator. I knew that I wanted to feel the tension between the three of them change as their motivations changed and I wanted to feel the power dynamic shift throughout the course of the play as their perspectives shifted. So, I suppose, more than having a clear sense of how to approach the bonds in a direct way, I was motivated by a desire to have a sensory experience of an emotional tug-of-war with these two formidable actors.

JS: Your choice to contain the action within a single day creates remarkable intensity. What drew you to this compressed time frame?

TTK: I’ve always loved urgency created by the confines of a strict timeframe and a lot of my shows have a similar construct. It adds an additional layer of anxiety for an audience and in the case of Mourning at Sunset, it highlights the juxtaposition between characters who are in stasis, waiting, and the clock audibly counting down the seconds to an inevitable end and Katherine’s death.

JS: Katherine’s presence haunts the play despite limited stage time. Tell me about crafting a character who influences every scene yet remains largely unseen.

TTK: Whenever there’s a character referred to multiple times before they make an entrance there’s an automatic expectation by the audience that this is someone important who should be taken note of. And when they’re seen very little, their impact is even greater. While rarely seen, Katherine is the driving force for the plotline. It’s because of her that the other characters are drawn into the same house for these few hours and it’s their love for her that keeps them in the house despite their deep dysfunction.

JS: Montana itself emerges as a vital character. In what ways did the setting shape your characters’ emotional landscape?

TTK: That was pulled directly from my own life. My family has a long history with Montana, and it’s been the backdrop of many significant memories, both good and not-so-good. It was symbolic for me because in my personal experience, the state is beautiful and expansive but also cold and oppressive. Equal parts foreign and familial. I tried to channel those conflicting emotions into the foundation of tension that exists among the characters.

JS: The failing cabinet door serves as a powerful metaphor throughout. What inspired this recurring element?

TTK: It was a direct response to a conversation the cast had after reading an earlier draft. I’d written a casual reference about a cabinet door that wouldn’t close, and it sparked an organic conversation about how dysfunction could be expressed through the set as well as dialogue. So, in the next draft I added multiple references to the broken cabinet to see if it could be used to add another layer of mounting tension and irritation, particularly for Amanda who, as the outsider isn’t used to the quirks of the house.

JS: End-of-life choices, buried secrets, and inherited trauma drive your narrative. What guided you through these challenging themes?

TTK: I didn’t begin with any plans of writing about those themes, but I’d been thinking for a while about the period of time between life and death when an ill person has ended the fight to survive and has surrendered to the natural dying process. My mother spent a large portion of her career as a psychotherapist with Hospice working with patients and families to navigate this unique transition and she shared many beautiful experiences about those last hours. It’s a strange time, like holding your breath. There’s space in between the inhale and exhale where there’s nothing except stillness. I’m interested in all that goes on in that moment.

JS: Amanda’s revelation transforms our perception of her character. What led you to this pivotal discovery?

TTK: In all honesty, when I write, I don’t have any idea where I’m going. There are many wonderful writers able to plot out the story and character arcs in advance. I’m not like that. I never know what’s going to happen. I write as if I’m typing the transcript of a conversation, like a court reporter. So, when I was writing the sequences where Amanda reveals the truth about her past, I was imagining myself, as Amanda, answering questions about why she is the way she is and why she couldn’t ever be honest, even with the people she loves most. I tried to imagine James and Doug accusing her of being dismissive and cold, and her needing to defend herself. What would cause her to be so guarded? I felt it would have to be things that were so traumatic to her that she’d vowed never to talk about them. Then, knowing the culture of the Montana town I was envisioning, in the early nineties, I knew her trauma would need to be something that would cause her enough shame that she would permanently shut down emotionally. That all led me to an unplanned pregnancy. In the next draft her revelation has been adjusted from an abortion to adoption, but with the same motivation and reaction of shame, etc.

JS: The ending balances resolution with new possibilities. Describe finding this delicate equilibrium.

TTK: That’s a very good question and I’m not sure I have a clear answer. If I take resolution to mean things have been resolved between the family unit and they therefore have hope of a brighter future beyond what we see on stage, then I’d have to temper that with the fact that resolution or healing is not completed at the end of the play. Rather, we are left with the hope that healing has been started and what may come in time is a new reality for them down the road.

JS: Your workshop collaborators helped shape this piece. Which insights proved most valuable?

TTK: This team is extraordinary and I’m so grateful to each of them for their contributions and insights about their characters and the play on the whole. It’s impossible to extract specific insights that have been most valuable because each person has brought their sensibility, talents, perspectives, and assets to the table and the piece is infinitely better for it. Carl Da Silva has been profound in mentoring me through the workshop process and using his specific skills as a director to pose questions that I wouldn’t have considered. Ben, John, and Savannah Moffat, who plays Katherine with just fierce fragility, have each participated in hours-long rehearsals where we debated family dynamics and brought our own personal experiences and relationships into the room to explore through the filter of our characters. Jill Prout, who recently joined the production team, has already brought her own unique experiences to the table and provided yet another perspective on how the themes and characters may be seen. And from there the collaboration has continued as we’ve started sharing the work with larger audiences for feedback and discussion. It’s a vulnerable place to be as the writer, to be so exposed and open to feedback, but at the same time, it’s an invigorating part of the process and a special time when the work begins to take shape, and the creative process fully comes to life.

JS: Themes of forgiveness unfold with careful precision. Walk me through your approach to pacing these revelations.

TTK: I wish I could say I was as careful as you very generously suggested I am, but the truth is, I’m an intuitive writer and as I mentioned before, I never know what’s coming next. Writing dialogue comes very naturally to me and I write very quickly. I wrote the first draft in twelve days, on the heels of another full length play I’d completed a week prior. I’m fast, but that’s not to say it’s always good right out of the gate. Many of the elements in the plot and character development were on the page in the first draft, but the laying out of plot, or divulging of revelations, those came through rewrites and often in response to answering questions posed by Carl, who is exceptionally gifted at identifying the theme and the main issues at stake in a story. His probing questions would lead to rewrites, which would then lead to a structure where themes are revealed over the course of the play. So much of that credit goes to Carl. Truly.

 

Photo courtesy of Deidhra Fahey.