The Women of Lockerbie
THS to perform One Act Play tonight

Troup High School's Star Struck Co. is presenting "The Women of Lockerbie" tonight at 7 p.m. The drama, based on events of the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 in 1988, follows an American couple searching for their son's remains in the hills of Lockerbie, Scotland, while a group of local women fight with the U.S. government to obtain the clothing of the victims found in the wreckage.

The play will be presented for the middle school and high school at 2 p.m. Thursday, with a performance for the community at 7 p.m. Thursday night. The evening performance is part of the first Night of One Act Plays, featuring the UIL productions of Troup and Overton high schools.

Tickets are $2. The plays will run back-to-back with a 10-minute intermission in between. Overton High School will be performing "Lessons Learned at the Mung Dao" under the direction of Alisa Carter Hibbs.

Written by Deborah Brevoort, "The Women of Lockerbie" examines the sometimes overwhelming nature of grief and the need for closure.

Haleigh Roach and Jared Ayres portray Maddie and Bill Livingston, a New Jersey couple whose son, Adam, was killed in the bombing and subsequent plane crash over Lockerbie, Scotland. The Livingstons have traveled to Lockerbie, desperate to find any sign of their son.

Despite their focus on their son, the couple finds they are not the only ones profoundly affected by the tragedy. A group of women have joined together and are hoping to convert an act of hatred into love by obtaining and washing the clothes of the victims and returning them to their families. They are being challenged by George Jones (Raymond Wavrusa), the American government representative in charge of the warehouse where the remains of the crash are stored.

"I chose this play last spring because I wanted to direct a predominantly female show to showcase some of my talented girls," said director Melissa Freeman. "I kept coming back to this one because I thought it was so beautiful and the words so eloquent. I really believed that working on this show would teach my cast and crew empathy."

The cast has also been learning the Scottish accent ... not necessarily an easy feat for young East Texas actors.

"We have a daily vocal exercise that we do to improve our 'standard American English.' This really helped the characters from the northeast United States," said Freeman. "Next, we began work on the Scottish dialiect. We have tapes and CDs that we listen to and then we practice, practice, practice."

Although the events of Lockerbie occurred 20 years ago, Freeman said the current world situation makes the story as relevant today.

"Terrorism is at the forefront of our lives, especially since Sept. 11. Most of my students remember Sept. 11, even though they were in elementary school and did not comprehend the full scope of the catastrophe," she said.

"Dealing with the content of this show has been revealing to them about how their friends and families coped with the aftermath of our country's greatest tragedy."

Cast members rehearse "The Women of Lockerbie," Troup High School's One Act Play entry which will be performed today at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at THS. In the top left photo are Haley McPherson, Kayla Bright and Sarah Hensley. At left are Jared Ayres and Haleigh Roach as Bill and Maddie Livingston. Above are cast members portraying "the women of Lockerbie." Overton High School will also perform its One Act Play Thursday night at THS.