Fairfield resident Lisa Smith-Bryant’s story “Clown in the Prayer Closet” has had quite an odyssey. It began as a book in 2013 and then was adapted by the author as an independent movie in 2015. Now the story is about to begin its run as a theatrical play when the production comes to Vallejo’s Empress Theatre on Sept. 8.

“Clown in the Prayer Closet” tells the story of a 16-year-old girl named Denise who grew up going to church but leaves the safety of the sanctuary into the arms of a new love. Along the way, audiences witness themes of puppy love, betrayal, rebellion, dysfunctional home lives, religion, teen pregnancy and more. Smith-Bryant first came up with the idea in 2005 as what would be the first installment of a five-part miniseries. As a lifelong Christian, she said she was inspired by her own church upbringing.

“They would always talk about this prayer closet,” she said. “You go in there, you pray, you come out, all your prayers are answered. But the thing is, what if you don’t? What if you’re just the same person afterwards?”

Rather than just writing a book, Smith-Bryant decided to tell her story through a variety of media. She adapted “Clown in the Prayer Closet” into a feature film, which she also directed and co-produced. In 2016, it debuted as a stage play for a one-night-only performance at Fairfield’s Downtown Theatre and will commence its first multi-city run next week.

A major theme in “Clown in the Prayer Closet” is overcoming adversity, something Smith-Bryant certainly experienced. Throughout the entire process, the author said she has experienced setbacks. With the book, Smith-Bryant said she had to go through the learning curve of being a first-time writer.

“I was never an author, so I had to find support,” she said.

Putting together the movie, Smith-Bryant said, was also a source of frustration.

“I had to do it over and over and over which caused me a lot of money and anguish,” she said.

During production of the stage play, Smith-Bryant’s investment funds were stolen and she had to move forward. Additionally, during the 2016 production, she had to undergo surgery to remove a brain tumor the size of a peach.

“The week before we were ready to go on stage, I was just getting out of the hospital,” she said. “Then I had to leave the hospital and go straight back to rehearsal.”

A team of neurosurgeons removed the tumor, and Smith-Bryant had to undergo therapy to regain the ability to walk and speak.

“I couldn’t remember everything,” she said. “It was huge.”

Nonetheless, Smith-Bryant soldiered on and continued to pursue the project. She assembled a cast for the touring production that she has described as very driven.

“I like them because this is what they want to do,” she said. “Most of my cast are theater students, so this is their passion. It’s not like they’re coming because they want to do something. This is their passion. This is what they want to spend their life doing.”

Moreover, she said the actors have volunteered to assist with makeup, buying props and putting music in order.

“People are just taking on roles and doing it so that everyone can be successful,” Smith-Bryant said. “I’ve never had that before when I did the play. They feel like it’s their play and they need it to be huge, so they’re putting huge investment into it with their time, resources and making sure that things are done so that I don’t have to worry about doing everything by myself.”

Smith-Bryant plans to do a play a month, with future stops including venues in Sacramento, Oakland and Las Vegas. Additionally, she wants to take the play to the Bible Belt.

“Once you hit Atlanta, independent plays are huge and you get huge support,” she said.

Once touring is done, Smith-Bryant plans to start promoting the next installment “First Lady Blues” and begin the process again.

Smith-Bryant said all ages should see “Clown in the Prayer Closet” because the themes of relationships are universal to all, especially teens.

“This play makes it clean about how mature you need to be when you decide that you’re gonna be in a physical relationship with somebody,” she said. “Everybody who’s a teenager should see this play. Young or old, no matter what, everybody has experienced it at one point in their life, and it’s only because no one was talking about it with them.”

“Clown in the Prayer Closet” will be performed at 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8 at the Empress, located at 330 Virginia St. Ticket prices range from $35 to $45. A VIP dinner party after the show featuring Cajun-style appetizers and jazz music provided by Destiny Muhammad is available for $50.

For tickets and more information, visit empresstheatre.org or call 552-2400. For more information on “Clown in the Prayer Closet,” go to lisab.online/clown-in-the-prayer-closet-stage-play.html.