(upbeat music) - Pioneer Theatre Company is presenting the Utah premier of "Prayer for the French Republic."

Our guest today, artistic director Karen Azenberg, is here to tell us more.

Hi Karen.

- Hi.

- I tell you, your season's just off to a great start I have to say.

- We're very excited.

- Yes, and I'm excited for this play.

It's like what, the first production outside New York?

Which is a big deal.

- It's big, it's a big work.

I saw it in New York and was like, "When can I grab it?"

- Really?

Wow.

- Yeah.

I mean, it's a big play in all ways.

It's got 11 characters and it's big topics, but I love that.

I think that's theater.

Big drama, comedy, you know, just make a statement.

- Everything.

And this one is incredibly timely.

So tell us the plot because it's very intriguing.

- So the short version is it's a family that lives in France that hosts an American cousin who comes to spend the year studying abroad.

On her first night there, the son in the family gets attacked.

It's an antisemitic attack.

And the family decides that the problems in France at the time, 2015 and 16 when the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks occurred, were overwhelming for them.

They wanna move to Israel.

And the struggle of a family that has lived in France for hundreds of years to need to leave where they have lived forever and not feeling safe in their home.

And that, to me was the thing.

What happens when you don't feel safe anymore?

And it's scary and it's big.

And it's a much bigger story than what's in the play, which is of course why I love it 'cause, you know, I wanna start a conversation.

That's what theater does.

It gets people talking about things that they maybe they didn't think about talking about.

- Yeah, and it's so relevant.

Anyway, I'm so glad you're bringing it.

And thank you.

Thanks for being here.

- [Karen] It's a good one.

- And if you'd like to know more about that upcoming production of Pioneer Theatre "Prayer for the French Republic," it goes October 25th to November 9th.

You can go online to pioneertheatre.org.

That's pioneertheatre.org.

Notice the R-E in theatre.

I'm Mary Dickson.

Thanks for watching "Contact."

(upbeat music) - Local events, arts, culture.

It's what brings us together.

Hi, I'm Mary Dickson.

Here on Contact, we introduce you to local events and organizations that serve your neighborhood.

If you work for a nonprofit and would like to appear on our show, please visit pbsutah.org/contact.