Though the two share both a physical passion and a passion for writing, Olivia can never be sure exactly who she’s making love to, and Ethan has to measure her diffidence about putting her work forward against the fiercely burning ambition she denies. Each of them is essentially having sex with a stranger.

Can two people, almost a generation apart, with totally different notions of writing and erudition, coexist, let alone maintain a relationship? Playwright Laura Eason wanted to find out, so she brought Ethan (Michael Kingsbaker) and Olivia (Paige Price) together at a remote writer’s retreat in the middle of a snowstorm, with the Internet down.

Ethan is all Kindle and e-books—a fast-writing man on the move.Olivia is all leather-bound classics and the smell of an old book. She’s caution and contemplation.First, mud flies between these two—and then sparks.Laugh lines are piled high, but so are some razor sharp observations about different attitudes toward publishing, marketing and ownership of art.

Laura Eason is one of the most prolific and successful dramatists in the country — and one of the few women who can claim as much. Her “Sex with Strangers” was among the most produced plays in the country this season. The success has exceeded her expectations.

Why does Sex with Strangers matter? “Because the writing is really smart. It’s really satisfying to do a play that has really substantial themes and words in it. The whole play is actually about not only relationships but also words and how people express themselves. It deals with social media as well, but for me it underscores how important it is to be able to be in a room with somebody and not just on a screen.”

“This is our first experience with Curious Theatre Company, known for pushing the envelope. They did and it worked, providing social commentary on what intimacy really is and when and how it is developed.”