Preview: Chris Kayser and Carolyn Cook unite yet again for Horizon Theatre’s “Time Stands Still”

Chris Kayser doesn’t know. Neither does Carolyn Cook. The Atlanta actors, among the most talented in the city, have performed together for so long that they’ve lost count of the exact number of productions the two have both been in.

It’s happening again in Horizon Theatre’s “Time Stands Still,” by acclaimed playwright Donald Margulies, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his “Dinner With Friends.” On Broadway, “Time” and its lead actress, Laura Linney, received Tony Award nominations. The play opens Friday at Horizon and will run through October 14.

Cook plays Sarah, a photojournalist who sustains a serious injury while covering the Iraq War. Her boyfriend, James (Robin Bloodworth), a foreign correspondent, is dealing with a guilty conscience for not being with her at the time. Kayser portrays their longtime editor, Richard, who has just taken up with Mandy (Ann Marie Gideon), who at 25 is much younger than the others.

Sarah finds herself at a crossroads in her professional career, as the other characters also examine their own lives. “It’s a tight script,” Cook says. “I like how it portrays the struggle between home life and vocation and looks at whether they can coexist, especially for people who are passionate about both.” Kayser notes that the play also deals with hefty issues such as America’s role in the world.

The two met when Cook was an understudy at the Alliance Theatre. Kayser was part of the cast of “A Christmas Carol” (before he took over his longtime role as Scrooge) and Cook was brand spanking new. “I had to teach her a dance for the show,” Kayser recalls. He remembers that she was bright and quick. They’ve shared stages ever since practically all over town.

Many of their appearances together have come at Georgia Shakespeare, where they have been longtime company members. They sparred as Beatrice and Benedick in “Much Ado About Nothing” and teamed memorably in Horizon’s two-person play “Skylight,” which Cook remembers as a “fabulous opportunity.”

Kayser has also been instrumental in Cook’s French-language theater Théâtre du Rêve. The early days when they performed entire plays in French were nerve-racking, especially since it was just the two of them for the inaugural 1995-96 season and they weren’t sure they could pull it off.  “There is a new layer of terror there,” Kayser says.

Last year, the two were among the rich ensemble cast of the Alliance’s “August, Osage County.”

At various times they have tried to count their appearances together, but they eventually gave up.

Kayser calls Cook one of the most intelligent actresses he’s ever met. “She delves into a script and cares about all the details,” he says. In return, Cook says that Kayser is incredibly inventive. “He never gives a halfway performance. He can go in so many directions,” she says.

And they both have lots of admiration for Horizon’s Lisa Adler, who is directing “Time Stands Still.” “I trust her to bring everything I have to give,” Cook says. “She will not be satisfied until it’s right, and that’s a nice feeling.”