April 10, 2006 -- The University of Wyoming Department of Theatre and Dance closes
the 2005-06 season with "The Women of Lockerbie," April 21-25 at 7:30 p.m. on the
Fine Arts Center main stage.
Tickets cost $6 for students, $11 for senior citizens and $13 for the general public.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call the Fine Arts Center box office
at (307) 766-6666 or visit www.uwyo.edu/finearts.
"The Women of Lockerbie" is Deborah Brevoort's well-known, hauntingly beautiful play
about the aftermath of the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing. The plane exploded over Lockerbie,
Scotland, in December 1988.
Rebecca Hilliker, professor and chair of Department of Theatre and Dance, directs
the play. It chronicles the journey of an inconsolable New Jersey woman, Madeline,
and her stoic husband, Bill, as they seek closure and their dead son's remains on
the seventh anniversary of the crash. What they find is a still-bereft community of
women who have embarked on a remarkable crusade to perform their own gesture of communal
healing.
"This play is particularly pertinent on a national level because of the current war
in Iraq and the violent circumstances surrounding terrorist acts. It raises questions
about where does terrorism come from and why does it occur?" says UW student Anna
Brownsted, the play’s assistant director.
"Even more importantly, this play brings to life women's voices that aren't commonly
heard when it comes to responding to terrorism," she adds.
According to Brownsted, "The Women of Lockerbie" works as a modern Greek tragedy.
Episodes, choral odes, and presentational acting work to create a universal dialogue
about the bombing and the horrific aftermath as Lockerbie residents attempt to come
to terms with the incident.
"As in classical Greek tragedy, these events are larger than life," says Brownsted.
"The women's chorus creates a community of universal voices trying to understand the
magnitude of the consequences of terrorist actions."
While the built-in seriousness of the story and Brevoort's treatment of it cut to
the core of grief, the play ultimately is about the healing properties of love.
Posted on Monday, April 10, 2006
