L.A. Theatre Works explores modern love in its new radio theater production “˜Completeness’

When a relationship ends, it may be easy to ask, “What did I do wrong? What could I have done differently?” Often feeling wronged or guilty, many people crave closure but instead may be plagued by a series of unanswered questions.

“Completeness,” the L.A. Theatre Works new radio theater production, attempts to answer these questions through the story of a romance between a molecular biologist and a computer scientist. According to Stephen Sachs, director of “Completeness,” the performance will explore the changing nature of relationships and provide a humorous yet also serious look at the complications of modern love.

Sachs said that the play uses the idea of protein connections to dramatize the complexity of two people finding each other.

“Both of the main characters are highly intelligent people, yet they are still flummoxed by the messiness of the human heart,” Sachs said.

Written by Itamar Moses, “Completeness” stars Jason Ritter (“Parenthood”), Mandy Siegfried (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Mia Barron (“The Venture Bros.”) and André Sogliuzzo (“American Dad”). The performances will air as part of L.A. Theatre Works’ “Relativity” science series on its website and radio station KPCC.

“Completeness” will be recorded today at the James Bridges Theater and will be performed six times starting today and ending on Sunday.

Radio theater performances are plays that are recorded in front of a live audience. The plays are read onstage along with a live sound effects artist, then broadcast on public radio and streamed on the web.

According to Sachs, radio theater performances are challenging, as it can be difficult to convey the emotional life of a play via radio broadcast. But Sachs said that “Completeness” has enough charisma to have an impact over the radio.

Ritter plays Elliott, an overly logical but otherwise brilliant computer scientist, who develops a computer algorithm to help with Molly’s research on protein combination.

According to Ritter, the performance is about being overwhelmed by all the choices available to us in our technologically advanced society.

“In our current culture, it’s a lot harder for people to accept any kind of permanence in a relationship because they’re scared of missing something better. You see that in this play, and I like when (the characters) stop analyzing everything and see what’s right in front of them,” Ritter said.

Ritter said he hopes “Completeness” sparks discussion among its viewers and listeners, and that people will look at their own relationships and think about why they are resistant to elements of it.

“It’s always refreshing to hear a young playwright’s take on an age-old issue that is a huge concern to all of us,” said Susan Loewenberg.

Loewenberg is the founder and producing director of L.A. Theatre Works, a nonprofit radio and theater organization, and is responsible for choosing which plays are aired on its website.

She said it is very important to choose plays that impact viewers on both an intellectual and an emotional level.

“Our collection has both classic and new plays, and includes the best work in the American canon. After watching this play the first time, I thought that this was in the category of truly outstanding,” Loewenberg said.

Following Friday’s performance, viewers are invited to share refreshments and chat with the performers.

Loewenberg said that she hopes the talk will draw UCLA students to the play, as she wants to share “Completeness” with as many people as possible.