Christian Chadwell portrays a young man who has an awkward moment with his declining grandmother, played by Pia Shepherd, in the Ten Fifteen Theater production of “The Waverly Gallery.”

It is a memory play about loss of memory. Its director, Ryan Hull, is more often associated with comedies. But the opportunity to stage a thoughtful piece about dementia drew him to “The Waverly Gallery.”

“It is an interesting show,” Hull said, who coped with his father’s decline five years ago. “It does give that look into what this disease does to a person and their family.”

ConflictThe piece, written by Kenneth Lonergan, ran off-Broadway in 2000, focusing attention on a serious subject while including some humor. It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a 2018 revival earned a best actress Tony for Elaine May. A New York Times critic called the original production a “finely observed story of the predations of old age.”

The “memory play” format, showcased elsewhere by Tennessee Williams and Harold Pinter, allows a character to look back in time.

Christian Chadwell plays a young man who reviews events affecting his elderly grandmother, Gladys, who runs a struggling art gallery inside a Greenwich Village hotel. The conflict comes from the irascible woman’s reaction to her landlord’s proposal to replace it with a coffee shop.

Gladys is portrayed by Pia Shepherd, of Cannon Beach, a stalwart of the North Coast theater community. Her daughter and son-in-law are played by real-life couple Stacey and Markus Brown, also familiar in the Astoria theater community, whose professional careers took them away from the area for five years, returning last year. Sean Cooney completes the cast as a young artist.

‘Heal’

Hull was at the helm for the Ten Fifteen’s production of David Mamet’s “An Interview” in September. He lived in New York City for 10 years and savors the setting of “The Waverly Gallery.”

“The topic is about Alzheimer’s or dementia, and everybody has a particular connection to this disease,” he said. “I thought it was good to bring this to the stage and perhaps it might help people heal and think about it, and may be a little sad.”

The Browns had some experience when their parents’ health declined. “It is pretty well done,” said Markus Brown. “There are some moments when it catches you.”

Hull and Shepherd are longtime collaborators and carpool to rehearsals from Cannon Beach. While he noted her skill and experience sets an example to the cast, the role stretches her, also. “She doesn’t rest on her laurels.”

Shepherd’s challenge has been the volume of dialogue and its unpredictability. “A lot of lines come out of the blue,” she said, describing Gladys. “She’s charming and funny and loves people — and she’s losing her mind. It is a heartbreak, watching her go through that process.”

‘The Waverly Gallery’

Ten Fifteen Theater, 1015 Commercial St., Astoria

7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3:30 p.m. Sunday, additional performances on March 30, March 31 and April 1. Face masks encouraged but not required during the show

www.thetenfifteentheater.com