Soap operas have presented to audiences many social issues over the years, but few have tackled the topic that’s bringing together Guiding Light stars Grant Aleksander, Robert Newman, and Michael O’Leary. The three are taking to the stage in Devout, a play written and directed by Sherry Ramsey, Aleksander’s wife.Being Devout View this post on Instagram Instagram PostRamsey tells Soap Central that she was inspired to write Devout after she and Aleksander, who’ve been together for nearly 40 years, went through the loss of their parents. While Aleksander lost his father and mother in 1990, and Ramsey’s parents passed away much later (in 2010 and 2015), they each experienced a gamut of emotions that inspired Ramsey both as a writer and a director.“It was very sad,” Ramsey says. “I still miss them all, and I know Grant misses them, too. [But] I realized in many ways that there was this sort of weight lifted [knowing they were in a better place]. It was a really strenuous time in our lives, taking care of our parents, and we had friends who had gone through the same thing.”GL star Tina Sloan (Lillian) gave Ramsey some advice on parental caretaking when her parents were both in their 90s. “She said, ‘Don’t wait until you need the help,’” Ramsey recalls. “Start thinking ahead. I always remembered that.”Devout tells the story of two brothers, Ben (played by Aleksander) and Jay (played by Newman, last seen by soap fans as Ashland Locke on The Young and the Restless), who play different roles in the caretaking of their elderly father, Robert (played by Robin Nuyen). One brother lives near their father, and he provides a physical presence and support, while the other lives out of town and contributes financially.“These different [positions] create conflict,” Ramsey shares. “Everybody’s doing their best, but there are always problems.”“For the family member who lives out of town, there’s a certain amount of being able to ‘turn off the switch’ and leave,” Aleksander muses. “You come for a visit, see how everybody’s doing, and then you leave, you go back to where you live and work.”When Ben returns to visit his father and brother, Aleksander previews, “he comes back expecting it to be a fairly normal visit, and he ends up being confronted by a much more serious situation than he’s expecting.”That said, Ramsey says that there are many comedic moments in the play, as sometimes dark moments in life lead to, well, dark humor. “I tried to make the play funny,” Ramsey says. “There were things with our family that happened where we laughed and laughed and laughed. Disagreements turned out to be funny. There’s only a scene or two where it’s actually sad.”Helping out with the comedic moments is O’Leary, who plays Frank, a neighbor. “Mikey’s our comic relief,” Ramsey shares with a smile.The Razor's EdgeGrant Aleksander played Phillip on GL; his wife, Sherry Ramsey, played Trish, Lily's sister-in-law on As the World Turns | Image: JPI“Sometimes the difference between laughing and crying is a ‘razor’s edge,’” Aleksander offers. “You slip back and forth because there are so many things that are so absurd about the process of taking care of people who are very sick or very old or both, and you lose grip on reality, sometimes. I think this is something that everybody can or will relate to at some point in their lives.”While Phillip and Josh were involved in storylines involving family and business, Aleksander notes that the two didn’t share a great deal of screentime. “It’s been great working with him on this,” Aleksander says. “Sherry has written a couple of really wonderful scenes, one in particular that I think is one of the best scenes in the play that’s just between the two brothers.”While this is Ramsey’s first play, it may not be her last. “I told Grant the other day, ‘I’d love to write another play at some point because I enjoy this one so much,'” she says.Devout prompted Aleksander to recollect wise words that were said by his late father, who was prepared to lose his wife, Aleksander’s mother, to lung cancer, but then he died of a sudden heart attack.“A week before my dad died, he said, ‘God, son, it all went so fast,’” Aleksander recalls. “You start thinking if there’s stuff you want to do, you had better get to it. My dad used to say, ‘Son, no one is promised tomorrow.’”The curtain goes up on Devout on Thursday, August 27, Friday, August 28, and Saturday, August 29 at 7 p.m., and on Sunday, August 30 at 3 p.m. at ShenanArts, 300 Churchville Ave, Staunton, VA. For tickets, go to: ShenanArts.org/devoutFriday's performance includes a special post-show talkback session with the writer/cast.