Growing old can be hard. Growing old alone can be harder still.
Set in the world of “Boxes of Someday,” “Coming to Terms” is a loving look at aging, grief, and renewal across generations. When widower Ray Calabria learns late in life he is responsible for not only his own tenuous well-being but that of a 10-year-old he loves, he begins a challenged journey of love, fear and lessons on living in a diverse world with an extended family he didn’t know existed.
The Z presents Coming to Terms, a powerful new play by LouJ Stalsworth that explores grief, responsibility, and the unexpected ways families are formed. An audience favorite at the Proteus New Play Festival, Coming to Terms is a deeply human story that blends warmth, humor, and hard truths.
At the center of the play is Ray Calabria, a widowed man in his late seventies who suddenly becomes the legal guardian of 10-year-old Raimundo “Mondo” Brennan after the boy’s parents are killed in a car accident. What begins as an act of loyalty quickly becomes a life-altering commitment. As Ray struggles with his own health, grief, and doubts about his capacity to parent, he finds himself challenged by Mondo’s extended family, a sharp-witted social worker, and his own deeply held beliefs about age, race, and legacy.
Set between Ray’s aging warehouse office and his modest home, Coming to Terms unfolds as a series of intimate confrontations and quiet revelations. The play examines intergenerational bonds, cultural identity, and the meaning of guardianship—asking whether love alone is enough, and what it truly means to act in a child’s best interest. Along the way, Stalsworth’s script finds humor in unlikely places, allowing moments of grace and connection to emerge amid conflict and loss.
With richly drawn characters and emotionally resonant dialogue, Coming to Terms offers audiences a compassionate look at chosen family, second chances, and listening to one’s “better angels.” The play speaks directly to contemporary conversations around caregiving, aging, and cross-cultural understanding, while remaining grounded in a deeply personal story.
Performance Dates & Times:
• Thursday, January 29 – 7:30 PM
• Friday, January 30 – 7:30 PM
• Saturday, January 31 – 3:00 PM
