Local couples inspire New Center play “Love, Faith and Other Dirty Words”

Barbara and Elliot Targum are expecting “Love, Faith and Other Dirty Words” to hit close to home. The play, which comes from the New Center for Arts & Culture and director Kent Stephens of the Harbor Light Stage in Kittery Point, Maine, is loosely based on the Targums and a few other local interfaith couples who agreed to be interviewed about their experiences for the production. The Targums say that if you spot them in the audience on Wednesday night, they shouldn’t look too nervous. “It wasn’t totally horrifying,” Barbara said with a laugh, of the interviews. “It’s certainly putting ourselves out there.” Elliot, who is Jewish (Barbara is Christian), added that he and his wife participated in the project to help other couples navigate their own interfaith experiences. He says he and Barbara met in college, long before the they thought about how religion might affect their lives. “As that conversation unfolded, we came to some compromises,” he said. “Love, Faith and Other Dirty Words” will be performed on Wednesday and Thursday at Suffolk’s Modern Theatre.