Sherry VerWey has had her eye on directing this play for almost 20 years.

VerWey, of Hobart, is the director of “Keely and Du,” showing Jan. 18 to Feb. 2 at the Chicago Street Theatre in Valparaiso. Performance times are at 8 p.m. Jan. 18-19, 25-26 and Feb. 1-2; and 2:30 p.m. Jan. 27 and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 31.

“I saw this show in Greenwich Village in the ’90s and it really made an impact on me,” she said. “From that moment, I was determined that at some time in my life that this was a show I wanted to be a part of, somehow. As I developed more and more experience and got into directing, I knew I definitely wanted to direct this show.”

She was attracted by the subject of reproductive rights — it’s a cause she’s passionate about, she said.

“I think the lasting impact that the show had on me was that the relationship that two woman can, against all odds, develop — with opposing viewpoints, with nothing in common, age is a difference, so many different factors,” she said. “But regardless, the heart of it is these two women can bridge those gaps to basically take care of one another.”

Written by Jane Martin, “Keely and Du” is about a group of controversial right-to-life activists. Keely (Lindsey Elderkin) is a pregnant rape victim; Du (Lisa Formosa-Parmigiano) is a right-to-life activist.

“It explores ideas such as how far are people willing to take their convictions and beliefs,” she said. “And how much is someone going to respect another person’s bodily autonomy and what people are willing to do for what they believe in.”

She hopes that people come in with an open mind.

“The show does transcend much more than just the circumstances these individuals in the play are put into,” she said. “You have to look beyond that and look into what’s sometimes not being said in a script. It’s more of this relationship and how — especially in these times that we’re faced with — it’s so important for people to look at putting themselves in other people’s shoes.”

Her cast gets this and are passionate about bringing their characters to life in a realistic manner without debasing them into one-dimensional stereotypes, she said.

“We aren’t looking to create stereotypes, we’re looking to create realities,” she said. “This cast is dealing with incredible emotions … to make this come to life.”

VerWey studied theater at Ball State. She’s done theater her “whole life,” she said. She’s directed at Footlight Theater in Michigan City, and at The Towle in Hammond. She also acts; she was in “Hurlyburly” at Chicago Street Theatre last year.

“I’ve been on both sides,” she said. “I like to think of myself as an actor’s director. I look for scripts that are emotionally challenging. I like to do shows that really get to the heart and give people the opportunity to really delve into … getting to learn about the different depths of the human condition. Not all scripts present that so I think I look for those types of shows.”

People should take a chance on “Keely and Du,” she said.

“These are issues that are important. These are issues that we can’t ignore,” she said. “The importance is to start a conversation. One of my favorite things that I’ve said, in all of the shows I’ve directed, is I feel that a play that is important to me is a play that has a third act.

“And by that I mean you go to see a play and usually you have act one and you have act two. And I say act three is the conversation you have after you leave the theater. I like a show that’s going to make the audience go home and question, ‘What about this moment?’ or ‘What was this character thinking?’ Whether that conversation is heated or emotional, I just think it’s important that art inspires us to talk and have a conversation. That’s important to me.”

Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.