Ryan Gerberding can be seen in Friday's and Saturday's live stream

Ryan Gerberding, the "My Jekyll & Hyde" performer and coauthor, will be familiar to many Rocklin area residents. Gerberding is a Rocklin High School and University of California at Davis graduate, who performs in the one-man show that will be live streamed Friday and Saturday. Gerberding cowrote "My Jekyll & Hyde" with Placer Repertory Theater's producing artistic director Teresa Stirling Forsyth. "My Jekyll & Hyde" is the Artist's Collective and cs Season of Suspense fall fundraiser. Since the fundraiser can't be held at a venue because of COVID-19 restrictions, it will instead be livestreamed. The 90-minute production airing Friday and Saturday from the Ooley theater in Sacramento will include an inside look at both organizations, followed by a preview performance of "My Jekyll & Hyde." Elise Hodge, founder of the Artist's Collective and facility administrator of the Ooley Theatre, describes the play as an exploration. "It's a telling by one man of the story of 'Jekyll and Hyde' and its relationship to who we are today and what's happening in the world and a little bit of a glimmer into how we connect to ourselves, the good side and the bad side," Hodge said. Placer Repertory Theater's comedy trailer says that that …"Humor provides momentary release of tension and relief from the on-the-edge of your seat, tour-de-force storytelling that is 'My Jekyll & Hyde.'" The collaboration between Forsyth and Gerberding began when she saw him in a couple of productions and recognized his talent, she said. Forsyth has a strong background in dramatic arts including working as artistic director for two Bay Area theater companies. She is a member of the Writer's Room, which is part of the Artist's Collective. The two have worked together over the past year in the creation of "My Jekyll and Hyde," which weaves Gerberding's personal monologue into the classic tale. Hodge's EMH Productions is handling the technical aspects. "Tess (Teresa) and Ryan have wanted to workshop their material to get it in front of an audience before its premier status," Hodge said. "This is a way to put it out to the community and get feedback as it makes its way toward a premiere." Hodge has rented the Ooley Theater on and off for the past nine years and stages productions there three or four times a year. Placer Repertory Theater, a professional performance arts nonprofit organization in Rocklin, had planned to launch its inaugural season in early 2020, with "My Jekyll & Hyde" as the first production. That had to be postponed because of the pandemic. "We are excited to have this opportunity to provide a sneak preview of this funny yet suspenseful and poignant play," Forsyth said. "(Gerberding) has grown tremendously as an artist through the development and staging of this work." Live streaming tickets are available online at https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/41354. About Placer Repertory Theater Placer Repertory Theater's mission is "to offer educational and quality-of-life enriching professional performing arts and cultural programs relevant to the people of Placer County, while supporting local organizations and acting as an economic engine for the area," according to its website. The theater organization is at 2351 Sunset Blvd. in Rocklin. For more information about Placer Repertory Theater, visit placerrep.org.