The result was The Pavilion, his biggest hit so far (the play has been produced by about 25 regional theaters in the past two years). Circle Theatre gives it its North Texas premiere this week.

"I wanted to try something harder, about people who are not young anymore and who screwed up and made mistakes," says the 37-year-old writer, who is also on the seven-writer team of HBO's Six Feet Under. "I wanted to see if there was a way to look at the problem of redemption in a way that doesn't require anybody to forgive or forget anything."

In The Pavilion, former high school lovers meet again at their 20-year reunion. A narrator plays about 20 other characters.

"The reason the play's about a reunion is that, somehow in the company of others, our own pain is rendered bearable in a way that doesn't require us to forget about it," he says.

Wright will make his New York debut this spring with his new play Recent Tragic Events. But for now, he's happy with how well The Pavilion is being received around the country.

"Obviously it speaks to a lot of people, and that's what I want to do," he says. "I don't want to write little chamber pieces that no one understands."

The Pavilion

Wednesday through April 19

Circle Theatre, 230 W. Fourth St., Fort Worth