Maple Valley playwright Ed Corrigan has a fever, and the only prescription is more writing, less directing.

Corrigan’s sophomore effort recently completed a successful regional run in spite of issues finding the right director for the play called “David.”

The one-act play, which takes place in the 1970s and features some autobiographical aspects, premiered at the Valley Stage in North Bend on May 17. It then had showings at The Black Dog in Snoqualmie and concluded at the Maple Valley Creative Arts Center.

“It was really good,” Corrigan said. “The actors really gelled together once we got to Maple Valley. It’s great to have the people of Maple Valley come out to new works. A lot of people won’t come out for new work.”

The play takes place in 2011 — but jumps back to 1970 — and concerns a man named Fred who has had difficulty moving past the death of his friend, David, who died 40 years before.

As he is writing in his office, David’s ghost suddenly appears and takes him back to 1970 to explore the circumstances surrounding his death when they were attending an Illinois university.

Compared to his first play, “The Ave.,” Corrigan said it was both easier and harder to fill the roles. “The Ave.” required 10 actors, while “David” required only five.

“It was easier but it was crucial we select people who understood the roles,” he said. “So it was tougher with this one.”

After several rounds of auditions, Corrigan settled on local actors Sean Stone and Craig Ewing to play David and Fred respectively.

Ewing already had experience working with Corrigan on “The Ave.” playing Frankie.

Also cast was Tahoma High senior Sean Mahar, who played the young Fred in 1970.

Initially Corrigan had someone set to direct, but as the production started up they struggled to align their interpretations of the material.

“We just had two different artistic visions of the play,” he said. “The more we talked about it the more I realized how different it was.”

After the person agreed to step down, Corrigan said he looked for a replacement director, to no avail. He discussed the idea with Becky Rappin, who had previously played the Dream Spirit from “The Ave.”

Due to her job as a school teacher, however, she was unable to assist outside of being a creative consultant.

Two days before rehearsals began, Corrigan realized he would have to be the director, something he had no experience doing. To help work with the actors, Rappin assisted Corrigan as they went over scenes during rehearsal.

“Becky was instrumental in conveying my vision to the actors,” he said. “Once we were done with a scene I would give my comments, but I would also listen to her comments. It’s important the actors know there is one person in charge, but it was a collaborative effort.”

While Corrigan said he was pleased with the actors’ performances, particularly the relationship between David and Fred, he was also elated to see Stone act out several tricky scenes, including David’s death.

Death scenes, he said, especially on stage, have a high risk for over exaggeration or melodrama.

“The death scene was hard to do,” Corrigan said. “I wanted somebody who wouldn’t over emphasize it. By the time we got to Maple Valley (Stone) really had that nailed.”

He also said that Ewing delivered strong performances during the showings.

“Craig took on all the emotional aspects of it,” he said. “He was really into it. It was really amazing to me that he could take it to that level.”

Corrigan said he is now concentrating on finishing his third play, which he started just before production for “David” began. Titled “Guess Who’s Coming to the Wedding?” he said the play is a take-off of the film “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” and deals with racism and inequality concerning an interracial couple.

Attendance was strong enough to cover the costs of the production as well as provide additional revenue to give back to the venues that hosted it, Corrigan said.

Despite that, however, he said he has no desire to direct again.

“I think directors have to have an innate feel for it,” he said. “Mechanically, I understand it, but I just want to get the play out there.”