Usually the only place someone can find retired professionals, students, professors and people of all ages in one room is at a family reunion. But you don’t have to bring your own potato salad to Fisher Theater Thursday night for ISU Theatre’s latest production, which features actors from all walks of life.

“I Never Sang For My Father,” by Robert Anderson, began as a special project directed by Jane Cox, associate professor of music. The drama focuses on the damaged relationship between Gene, played by Kevin Geiken, junior in performing arts, and his father, played by Patrick Gouran, associate professor of music.

As Gene’s father draws closer to the end of his life, Gene is suddenly caught in a battle between leading his own life and building a relationship with the dying man.

Gouran’s retirement was the motive behind this play, which was supposed to be the professor’s last performance before he ended his 32-year teaching career at Iowa State.

Gouran says he was honored to be in the play, but had other ideas in mind.

“I thought, maybe it’s time for the new generation to take over,” Gouran says, reasoning his retirement announcement.

But since his announced retirement, Gouran has decided he’s not quite ready to call it quits and will instead continue teaching at Iowa State.

“I just like the process of seeing young people develop, both academically and artistically,” he says.

Most students know Gouran as “Doc.” Gouran says a student gave him the nickname several years ago while he was earning his doctorate degree in theater.

“It just kind of hung on and it’s been there ever since,” Gouran says.

“Doc” is a popular professor among his students and his fellow actors. Allison Heckley, who plays Gene’s sister, Alice, in the play, says she appreciates the talent Gouran brings to the stage and doubts the professor will ever retire.

“[Gouran] epitomizes everything about bringing life experience to the stage,” says Heckley, graduate student in biochemistry. “Acting isn’t believing. You want to make your audience believe and [Gouran] makes it believable.”

“I Never Sang For My Father” features a unique cast composed of undergraduates, graduates, professors and local actors. Gouran says the actors were chosen based on their acting abilities.

“The talent is the important thing, not the age,” Gouran says. “These are pretty mature and focused people.”

But Heckley says age does matter, and the experiences people undergo as they grow older help them to understand and portray their characters better.

“It’s wonderful to work with people whose life experience can contribute to the role they’re playing,” Heckley says. “When you have more dimensions in your personal life, your character will be more dimensional.”

Fun and easygoing are just two words Geiken uses to describe “Doc” and the other cast members of “I Never Sang For My Father.” Geiken has been involved in several other plays, such as “Romeo and Juliet,” “Twelfth Night” and “Heroes Among Us,” during his three years at Iowa State.

Geiken says the combination of a small cast size and his large role has made this play more challenging for him as an actor.

“It’s such an emotional show and Gene is there through all of it, so I’m kind of drained by the end of rehearsals,” he says.

Rehearsals for the play began the week after spring break. Geiken is taking nine credits this semester and says the play has demanded a lot of his time. Despite the challenges, he says the cast members have made the play enjoyable.

“It’s been easy because [Des Moines-resident Kim Grimaldi] is such a great actress as Margaret [Gene’s mother],” Geiken says. “It’s easy to play off [the other cast members]. I’ve never felt intimidated by them because they’ve been really open and fun.”

Both Heckley and Geiken agree Cox has been a strong force behind the play.

“She knows that script inside out and she has really a strong connection with [the characters],” Geiken says.

Heckley says it was Cox who helped her portray the direct and practical approach Gene’s sister takes in life.

“Trying to follow [Cox’s] direction is a challenge because she gives you so much to think about,” Heckley says. “All of these characters are so emotionally charged … she does an excellent job of helping the actors understand [their character’s] motives.”

Gouran says his character “isn’t the type of guy anyone would want to spend time with,” describing him as an “unloving, self-centered, egotistical man.”

“Death ends a life, but it does not end a relationship,” Gouran says, quoting a line from the play. “The relationship that [the father and son] had, which was not a happy one, carries on into the rest of [Gene’s] life.”

Even though everyone may not have family relationships such as this one, Geiken believes most audience members will be able to relate to the characters on some level.

“Every night, I will be reminded of my family somehow and I think the audiences will pick up on that,” Geiken says. “It’s a good show for someone to go to because it’s easy to follow, it’s straightforward, and it has easy language.

“Everyone that goes will be able to take something from it and relate it to their own life.”