Hericlitus tells us “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” RTR agrees, so with a new cast and in honor of the new year, Readers Theatre Repertory will stage two old favorites in a new way on January 16-17.

Bob Martin directed “F.M.,” by Romulus Linney, and “Third and Oak: The Laundromat,” by Marsha Norman.

“F.M.” is classic Southern literature — Martin, a Southerner himself, said the story is “As dark as it is funny, and as full of grief as it is of joy.” The tale of a creative writing class on a small campus forever altered when a student’s work reveals a brilliant madness is vintage Linney.

“Third and Oak: The Laundromat” was originally directed by Martin’s son, also RTR founder. “Matt’s concerns were about connections,” said Martin, “and that’s at the heart of this story. But I’ll be bringing my own take to the tale.”

The cast included Rollin Carlson, Mindy Logan, Cheryl Nelson and Heather Peterson, among others