The School of Theatre’s next Stage II production will focus on themes of grief and healing.
“The Women of Lockerbie,” written by Deborah Brevoort, is loosely based on the Pan American Flight 103 bombing of 1988. The explosion and subsequent crash resulted in the deaths of 270 people, making it the deadliest terror attack in the history of the United Kingdom.
Breevort’s fictional dramatization takes place in Lockerbie, Scotland, where sections of the aircraft crashed onto a street, destroying multiple houses and killing 11 people. It centers around Madeline Livingston, an American woman visiting Lockerbie in search of her son’s remains. She meets a group of women who are fighting the U.S. government for the right to obtain the victims’ clothing, wash them and return them to their families.
“Women of Lockerbie” was set to be performed March 26-29 in the Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center, but it has been delayed indefinitely due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Kris Kuss, visiting assistant professor of voice and acting and director of the show, said the School of Theatre plans to open the show sometime in April.
“When this was first all coming down the pipe, there was concern that the show wouldn’t even happen,” Kuss said. “There’s still a lot of things up in the air, but as of right now, the School of Theatre is planning to move forward with all their shows, but we’re trying to find dates that fit in with all the other performances scheduled between us, the dance school and the music school.”
Kuss said while they still plan on going forward with the show, rehearsals are on hiatus.
“Obviously, with any situation like this, artists and performers really want people to see the work we’ve done, but we also understand that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few,” Kuss said. “We’re hoping that should the break from campus not be extended, we’ll come back and have a revamped rehearsal process.”
Emerson Stack, acting freshman playing “Madeline,” said the show focuses on the idea that grief and healing are different for everyone.
“This play is important because it shows the negative things that come from not knowing how to deal with or experience grief,” Stack said. “I think it shows that healing is a very different process for everyone, even the characters in the play. They all heal and grow in different ways, which is a really good thing to put on a stage, and something everyone needs to see.”
Stack said the show depicts loss as a natural part of life.
“Even though it is very difficult to deal with, it’s important to recognize your feelings and emotions depending on how everything affects you, and know that while everything won’t just go back to normal, you can still continue to live, even after really bad things have happened,” Stack said.
Joel Jenkins, acting senior playing “Bill,” said the play is one of his personal favorites.
“It’s a really beautiful play,” Jenkins said. “My character, specifically, lost his son and immediately pushed all of his emotions down and wouldn’t allow himself to feel anything. That was just his way of dealing with it. He’s trying to heal from that and reconnect with his wife Madeline, who he has grown apart from since the tragedy.”
Jenkins said he plans to focus on the show over the extended break.
“I’m going to keep the lines memorized and make sure the show stays in my head,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins said he hopes people who see the show will find healing and catharsis.
“Grief is a weird thing, especially right now with everything that’s happening in the world,” Jenkins said. “I feel like it’s important to know that you’re not alone if you’ve lost a loved one or are currently grieving in any way. Seeing a group of characters who choose not to leave their grief behind, but move forward with it, is a really profound thing that I think everyone would really benefit from seeing right now.”
Kuss said he encourages audiences to come in with open hearts and minds.
“This show is inspired by a real event that happened a long time ago, and people may wonder why it’s still relevant,” Kuss said. “There are a lot of words of wisdom in the show of how you address not only grief, but the pain you recognize in other people. Grief and sorrow should never be endured alone. Coming together and experiencing that in a theater is a step we can take to remind ourselves that we need to work together and lift one another up in the hardest of times.”
Kuss said the show is emblematic and representative of what communities can do in response to destruction, tragedy and hate.
“One of the final lines of the show is ‘hate will not have the last word in Lockerbie,’” Kuss said. “When things happen that are out of our control, such as natural disasters or even global pandemics, there’s suffering, pain and death. We also find this with events that are direct results of hatred, such as terrorist attacks and school shootings. We can either respond with more hatred or love and connection. That’s what this show champions. These people who experienced hate first-hand and had it literally rain down upon their heads stood up in the midst of that and chose to respond with kindness and love.”
Kuss said while the show’s message is always relevant, people would especially benefit from seeing it now.
“The world is not perfect, and we will continue to deal with hard circumstances,” Kuss said. “What matters most is how we respond to that.”
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