Western New England University's Stageless Players made history in early April with its first ever digital theatre production of The Women of Lockerbie by Deborah Brevoort. The production was presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc. of New York and was directed by WNE juniors Kayla Curameng and Molly Doyle.
Set in the hills of Scotland in the 1990s, The Women of Lockerbie follows the tragic story of the victims of the Pan Am 103 plane crash and the families that were struck with the collateral damage. Madeline and Bill Livingston, the parents of one of the victims, return to the site of the crash in an attempt to obtain closure, but their grief is only heightened. Olive Alison and the rest of the women of Lockerbie find themselves offering tender advice to Bill and Madeline, all while seeking to resist the misguided wishes of a hardened American government employee. Written in the style of Greek tragedy, this story teaches timeless lessons in hope, love, and patience.
"Although this show was grown in unprecedented times, we are remarkably proud of the cast and crew that made such a beautiful tale come to life," said directors Curameng and Doyle in their opening program remarks. "We were highly motivated by the passion of the actors, tech crew, and production team, and watching this show come alive has been an immensely rewarding and satisfying experience."
Members of the cast included Allie Provost as Madeline Livingston, Owen Boyns as Bill Livingston, Tatyana Kodreanu as Olive Alison, Julia Hart as Hattie, Spencer Bezerra as George Jones, and Ashley Buchanan, Natalie Golden, and Victoria Sebastian comprised the Women's Chorus.
"This has been a time of uncertainty in every sense and when we returned to campus in person, all of the Stageless Players members were waiting to hear if we could do a show. And here we are," said Kathryn Henry, technical director for the virtual performance. "The actors, directors, and tech have put countless hours into this show despite everything going on. From virtual rehearsals and meetings, to the spread-out tech crew build, we've had to adapt our methods to make this work."
Alongside Henry, the technical and production crew consisted of Assistant Technical Directors Jenna Hebert and Chris Arrandale, Set Coordinator Rebekah Dakkak, Set Builder Colin Berardinelli,and Dialect Coach Artemis Preeshl.
"As a WNE Alumni, my ties to The Stageless Players go way back. I have had the pleasure and privilege to work with Stageless under a number of different hats, said Alumni Consultant Alexandria Escribano. "The Women of Lockerbie marks the 9th production I have been involved in with The Stageless Players. The stars truly aligned when this amazing group of cast, crew and directors came together for their first ever virtual production. I was absolutely blown away by how invested everyone was, along with the unbelievable amount of love everyone put into the show. To be able to work alongside these incredible people has been an utter dream. I'd come back in a heartbeat!"
The Women of Lockerbie was first presented by the New Group and Women's Project & Productions with the assistance of the Fund for New American Plays, a project of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with the support of Countrywide Home Loans and the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation in cooperation with the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.
The University production was sponsored by the Student Senate, the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership, the Department of Arts and Humanities, and the Alumni Association.
