In different time periods spanning from 1918-2013 and somewhere in the near future, three young men return to their homes in a British Northern Coastal town from different wars. With the trauma of war, they struggle to readjust to everyday life.
The play The Unreturning showcases the long term effects war can have on people, such as post traumatic stress syndrome, shell shock, flashbacks and the overall guilt veterans feel after fighting in a war.
Director Clark Reed chose this compelling play as the vehicle for this year’s UIL one-act play, which advanced to bi-district competition on April 2 in Seminole.
“I love powerful stories and this is one of the most powerful stories I’ve found,” Reed said. “It’s kind of a tribute to my younger brother who’s an Afghan vet. It deals with themes of PTSD, and my brother was a PTSD patient.”
Reed said this year’s cast is strong group of actors with the ability to accurately portray their characters.
“This is the best group of actors I’ve ever worked with,” Reed said. “They are exceptionally talented and great to work with. They’re portraying emotions most adults don’t even experience and doing it genuinely.”
Senior Owen Adam is playing George, who fought on the Western Front during World War I.
“My character is extremely melancholy,” Adam said. “He’s in his head constantly, and he is a gentle soul.”
To portray such a powerful story, the actors have to get into the right headspace.
“It’s a story that isn’t told a lot,” Adam said. “I listen to music to prepare.”
Senior Javen Gutierrez plays Frankie, who was discharged from service in Afghanistan for injuring a child.
“My character is an Afghan veteran,” Gutierrez said. “He is very misunderstood. I related to him a lot in certain ways.”
The actors’ connection to each other helps them perform well on stage together.
“We all have a very strong connection,” Gutierrez said. “It’s much stronger than years prior. The new director helped a bunch.”
Junior Nehemiah McCoy portrays Nat, a refugee from a war in a future setting in the UK.
“Nat’s whole story comes out of his looking for his brother Finn,” McCoy said. “He ends up going back to his home to find out it’s been destroyed. My character thinks Finn is dead, but he ends up being there, thinks I’m a rebel and ends up killing me. I die in a calm, peaceful way.”
It can be challenging to have to act out such emotional scenes, so the actors said they go to a sad place in their minds to make their portrayal of their characters more believable.
“He’s really out of reality,” McCoy said. “I have a lot of sad scenes, so I have to think of sad stuff from my past in order to act like that. I have to gag in some scenes, so I have to go into sick mode. I put my mind in the zone and focus on getting my mind in a sad place.”
The play is centered around war and its effects.
“Our play is war heavy and emotional,” McCoy said. “It deals with PTSD and the effects it can have. It dives deep into wickedness and racism a bit. It twists your mind so you think. ‘No way this is happening.’ It really acknowledges what happens after war.”
Senior Leah Martin portrays Rose, George’s wife, who struggles to understand his trauma.
“My character is caring, tough and resilient,” Martin said. “She’s more negative than I am.”
To accurately portray their characters, they have to understand their characters’ motivations.
“I’ve always been good at putting myself in other people’s shoes,” Martin said. “I try to truly understand why she does what she does. I also listen to certain music to get in the headspace.”
The cast and crew are motivated which helped them advance.
“We’re all really connected,” Martin said. “We work toward the same goal, and the show suits us well. We want it more than everyone else and have the drive.”
Junior Kobe Cabello is playing Finn, the younger brother Nat searches for..
“My character is rugged and tough,” Cabello said. “He goes through the death of his entire platoon.”
To gain perspective, the actors talked to those who had experienced war.
“We talked to veterans prior to district,” Cabello said. “We saw their perspective on things.”
The actors will continue to channel that perspective as they compete in bi-district on Wednesday.
“We have some phenomenal actors,” Cabello said. “We all work exceptionally well.”
