Terrorism hits Altoona stage: Things Unseen Theatre to produce ‘Two Rooms’
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Things Unseen Theatre's upcoming production of "Two Rooms" is based on a completely conceivable notion of an American captured by terrorists abroad. But it is historical fiction, and Lee Blessing's original screenplay had it set in the early 1990s.
Things Unseen's version, which starts a five-show run on June 23, is set in the present.
"The sentiments in the story are very, very relevant today," said Courtney Edmundson, who is making her full directorial debut when "Two Rooms" shows at the Church in the Middle of the Block in Altoona. "It's more like historical fiction, something that very well could have happened."
But it's not the typical terrorism story that focuses on the terrorist, Edmundson said.
"When you see a show about terrorism and people being captured, it tends to focus more on the bad guys, the people who did it," she said. "'Two Rooms' doesn't. It focuses on him (the hostage), his wife, her struggles with the government … It focuses more on the human element."
Blessing's play was first presented nearly three decades ago at the innovative La Jolla, California, Playhouse.
"It illuminates both the numbing agony of the one detained and also the helpless fury of those who are left behind -- loved ones impatient for something to be done, and officials who feel they must be guided by logic rather than emotion," according to a press release from Things Unseen Theatre's co-artistic director Valerie Stratton.
The two rooms of the title are a windowless cubicle in Beirut where an American hostage is being held by Arab terrorists, and a room in his home in the United States which his wife has stripped of furniture "so that, at least, symbolically, she can share his ordeal," according to Stratton.
The play shows the months of interactions the wife has with a news reporter and a State Department official in attempts to get her husband released.
"Provocative and compelling, this arresting work deals with a subject much in the minds of contemporary society -- the taking of innocent hostages by political terrorists," Stratton wrote.
The cast includes Kurt Lightner as the hostage, Vanessa Ponder playing the wife, Leila McCrumb as the reporter and Robin Reese as the government official.
Lightner said he is excited about his first acting role since high school in Bellwood.
"It's neat to be able to be a part of it and interesting playing the role of Michael," he said. "Despite being held hostage, he develops a different perspective on his surroundings and the people who kidnapped him. This show is very much relatable to today's news. It puts a different kind of light on our experience with war."
The idea for Things Unseen to produce "Two Rooms" came from Edmundson, who graduated from Altoona Area High School in 2013 and just completed last month her bachelor's in English with a concentration in theater from Mount Aloysius College.
"I had read it in high school and fell in love with it," she said, explaining that an advanced theater course at AAHS required her to analyze several plays.
While at MAC, she directed the 10-minute play, "Goat," and the one-act play "The Actor's Nightmare" by Christopher Durang. Two years ago, when Things Unseen produced "The Laramie Project," Edmundson assisted the director.
"'Two Rooms' is my first full-feature solo effort," she said.
Edmundson recommended the play for anyone at least 17 years old; parents of younger children should consider that the play includes "stronger language" and intense themes.
"It's weighty," she said.
Mirror Staff Writer Cherie Hicks is at 949-7030.
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If you go
What: Things Unseen Theatre's production of Lee Blessing's "Two Rooms"
When: 8 p.m. June 23, 24, 30 and July 1; 2 p.m. June 25
Where: Church in the Middle of the Block, 217 Fifth Ave., Altoona
Admission/tickets: $12 for general admission, $10 for students and seniors, available at the door or in advance at Thompson Pharmacies
More info: www.ThingsUnseenTheatre.org or 934-3504