There’s one hitch when someone decides it’s time to start fresh in a new place.

They take themselves with them.

That’s at the heart of “The Lost Montana Monolog,” to be performed Friday and Saturday during the second ZooTown Fringe Festival and in which playwright Wendy Woollett examines a dysfunctional California woman who starts life anew in Montana.

It is, Woollett allows, “semi-autobiographical,” and the Californian finds herself “lost in an isolated landscape of ranches, bald eagles, bars, casinos, men and alcohol.”

The story takes place in a bar and covers the years 1988-98. Woollett, who moved to Montana from California in 1988, says that in addition to prying open the woman’s life, “The Lost Montana Monolog” takes a look at Montana itself.

“There’s so much about the Montana landscape,” Woollett says, “and the trophy homes going up next to the little homes. She’s from California, where the orchards have already been overrun and cities have merged into a continuous urban area. She sees the beginnings of that here.”

But she, and her shortcomings, are the focus.

New York-trained actress Rachel Petite of Missoula plays the lead character, “Mistress,” and is at least partially responsible for “The Lost Montana Monolog” making its way into the ZooTown Fringe Festival lineup.

“She’d heard about me and came up to me in May and asked if I could write her a piece for the festival,” Woollett says.

Woollett, however, already had “The Lost Montana Monolog” done — it was first performed at Dunrovin Ranch in Lolo — and suggested revising and re-scripting the longer piece.

With the help of playwright Linda Grinde — who is directing “Prison Boxing,” another festival offering – “Monolog” has been re-done.

“She helped me revamp it,” Woollett says. “She’d say, ‘You need a bug that hits the windshield right here,’ and I put in a chainsaw accident, or she’d say, ‘You need a story there,’ and I put in a part where an old guy tells Mistress she’s a phony who’s with a married man and drinks and gambles all day.”

There are, Woollett, says “a lot of half-truths and lies” when it comes to “Monolog” being her story.

“I’d say about 60 percent of it” is autobiographical, “and you can guess which of the 40 percent isn’t,” she says.

In addition to Petite, “Monolog” stars Chris Kennedy as the bartender, Julie McFarland and Pam Carlton as Montana ranch women and Robert Campbell as the old man who tells it like he sees it.

Caleb Coffey – Woollett’s son with Dan Coffey, better known as National Public Radio’s “Dr. Science” – performs the music.

Petite trained under Austin Pendleton in New York. Pendleton is a film, television and stage actor whose face you would probably recognize; he’s had roles in dozens of movies and TV shows during his long career, including the stuttering public defender in “My Cousin Vinny.”

“Rachel talks about him all the time,” Woollett says.

Woollett has also written “The Montana Monologs,” stage-worthy pieces culled from the oral histories of Montana’s real ranch women.

This “lost” monologue is her own story – or, at least, 60 percent hers – and speaks to anyone who has thought of pulling up stakes and starting over someplace else.

“There’s even a name for it,” Woollett says. “It’s called ‘taking a geographic.’ ”

And as enticing as it may sometimes seem, there’s always that one hitch.

“Wherever you go,” Woollett explains, “there you are.”

“The Lost Montana Monolog” will be performed at the Roxy Theater II on Friday, Aug. 15, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 16, at 8:30 p.m., as part of the ZooTown Fringe Festival. Tickets are $12, available at the door (no debit or credit cards).