Editor:

The Pintauro one-act plays currently being performed at NCRT in Eureka drop us unceremoniously into a moment, inescapable, we are there and the actor is there ("Pintauro's Defining Moments at NCRT," Aug. 24). We wait for dialogue to get a context and when it begins we know there's no turning back. We get raw and human feelings and, as my friend said, "Be prepared to feel things you didn't expect to feel." We are in the hot seat-in the swirl of conflicting emotions the actors bring into focus. It's a shared experience, and yes, uncomfortable at times. But, we are not alone — that is the gift the playwright offers us; even in existential quandaries, we are not destitute, we have company, that of the actors and others in the audience.

The entire production invites us into a finely crafted, personal and boldly intense experience. As audience members we get to find meaning in a broad array of situations and characters, experiencing the transformation that live theater can evoke. I'm so grateful to the director and the North Coast Repertory Theater for raising the bar of Humboldt theater and giving us all the opportunity to engage on this level.

I hope the actors have full audiences moving forward through the run. They deserve to play with as many of our heartstrings as they can while we get to come ever more alive to ourselves and each other. Long live live theater!

Pintauro at NCRT Sept. 1-3, Sept. 15-17.

Meighan O'Brien, McKinleyville