The School of Theatre is opening their Stage II season with “The Women of Lockerbie,” by Deborah Brevoort.
“The Women of Lockerbie” is based on the aftermath of the Lockerbie Bombing, a bombing of a transatlantic flight which killed 243 passengers and 11 residential civilians at the plane’s crash site in Lockerbie, Scotland. The play follows an American couple looking for their son’s remains, who discover the women in Lockerbie are fighting to get the laundry of the victims so they can return it to the victim’s families.
Kris Kuss, visiting assistant professor of voice and acting, is directing the production. He said “The Women of Lockerbie” was in its final week of rehearsal in March 2020 before the COVID-19 university shutdown in spring. The show will now perform using updated COVID-19 safety guidelines set by the School of Theatre.
Kuss said originally the show was set in the Black Box Theater but will now be performed in the Burg Theatre.
“Even though we are in the Burg Theatre, this is still a Stage II production. It’s very minimally produced, as far as set or costumes, the focus of our Stage II productions being on the performances and the work of the actors,” Kuss said. “Our set is very simplistic, mostly just acting cubes and a little bit of fabric. Costumes are also fairly straightforward. Mostly what the actors can provide from their own wardrobe.”
He said the show has gone through several changes to adapt to the new format and regulations.
“Some of our students that were cast had graduated, so we had to recast a few of the roles. Also, we are operating under the new protocols of the School of Theater, which are presenting unique challenges, but I would say that they have also lent us some opportunities to explore this piece from another point of view that we may not have considered before,” Kuss said.
Kuss said he was inspired to submit “The Women of Lockerbie” after seeing the show performed at another venue several years ago.
“I had first seen this production several years ago at another university and was just struck by the very beautiful and straightforward story based on real events,” Kuss said. “I was really struck by the story of people who came together to show one another love.”
Kuss said he was given the option to choose a different show this semester but decided “The Women of Lockerbie” had parallels to the current state of the world.
“I think this play is worth something even more worthwhile for us to explore,” Kuss said. “This is a play that deals with the nature of grief in our lives. When we deal with loss, not only as individuals but as a community, how do we deal with that grief?”
Deanna Cooper, acting junior, is a new cast member portraying “Hattie.” She said the differences in rehearsal time between the returning cast members and the new ones made for an interesting experience.
“About half the cast is returning and half the cast is new. It’s been very interesting integrating in people that have already done the show. They were about one week from performing last time. It’s really sad they weren’t able to put it up that way, but I’m just really grateful to be a part of the process now,” Cooper said.
Cooper said much of the show has been reimagined from its original version to allow for the new performance space and social distancing requirements.
“Kris Kuss’s directorial mind is very powerful, and a lot of the parts of the show are so beautifully staged that it feels intentional and purposeful,” Cooper said.
Kuss said he hopes audiences enjoy the hard work put in by the entire team.
“The actors are doing wonderful work, especially in a short amount of time. They really stepped up and took ownership of the work, and I’m very excited to share this with our audiences,” Kuss said.
“The Women of Lockerbie” will stream at 8 p.m. Oct. 16 – 17 on ShowTix4U. Tickets are available via the OCU website.
Leave a Reply