Bloomington actors perform in 'The Women of Lockerbie' at Brown County Playhouse

The doomed aircraft fell into Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 243 passengers and the 16 crew members. It was 1988, and its debris also smashed into a Lockerbie neighborhood killing 11 more. Among the murdered were 190 Americans and 43 British citizens. People from 21 countries died. A suitcase-bomb on a Pan Am transatlantic flight from London-Heathrow to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport had gone off 38 minutes after takeoff.

"The Women of Lockerbie" by Deborah Brevoort is a play that shows the determination of Lockerbie women as they fought their own emotions to help the victims' families and friends. It's at the Brown County Playhouse for two weekends beginning April 12 and including two matinees — featuring four actors from Bloomington.

Using kindness to ease catastrophe

"The Women of Lockerbie" details women's ability to transform at least part of a catastrophe into compassion.

"Being first-hand witnesses to the tragedy, the (Lockerbie, Scotland,) ladies rally around their friends and neighbors, as well as the families of the victims on the plane," said director Susan Rardin. People even began calling the women “the laundry ladies of Lockerbie,” because they decided to launder and return the clothing and possessions to the victims' families.

They also buttressed the search teams with shelter, emotional support and warm scones served with tea. Many of the searchers were boys, and although some would take a few bites of scone, many wanted just to sit and think during their breaks.

Fighting governments to retrieve victims' possessions

The "laundry ladies" went to battle with the U.S. government as they fought to return victims' possessions to the families. According to Paul Hyde with Greenville News, playwright Brevoort highlights the women's hurdles as they kept trying to retrieve the clothing victims left behind on the aircraft. Brevoort said Scotland Yard and the FBI sequestered the items, putting them in a warehouse, as forensic evidence. Hyde said Brevoort noted that the governments were going simply to dispose of all the clothes.

The 36 Lockerbie "laundry ladies," however knew that for many families, all that was left were the clothes.

There are many flashes of light and even humor, however, in the play. "(It's) a delicate balance of emotion and humor," Rardin said. Brevoort's use of humor lightens the show's intensity.

Playwright Deborah Brevoort uses the style of a Greek tragedy in "Lockerbie."

"This style was designed to tell stories that elicit intense emotions in a way the audience can bear," Rardin said.

Bloomington shares its talent

Cast members come from Bloomington, Columbus, Hope and Greenwood, and several of them are newcomers to Brown County Playhouse.

Bloomington's contribution to the cast includes Emily Bedwell, Beth Fort, Bill Goveia and Becky Stapf.

"I was so impressed with Emily Bedwell and Bill Goveia, after seeing them in 'The Mousetrap'," Rardin said.

Stapf, who directed that Bloomington production of "The Mousetrap," takes on "Lockerbie's" role of Hattie, the comic relief.

"You would think the role had been written just for (Stapf)," Rardin said. "Beth Fort (the driving force of the 'laundry ladies of Lockerbie') blew me away when she auditioned for the role of Olive.

"The verbal sparring of Hattie and George, the American representative, is a master class of manipulation," Rardin said.

Other upcoming performances: What to do in 2024: Here's a list of live theater and music happening in Bloomington

'Director's dream' playhouse

Rardin said the Brown County Playhouse is "a director's dream." After both performing and directing for many "homeless" theater groups in Indianapolis, she considers the 425-seat Brown County Playhouse a gift.

"New patrons to the playhouse are always amazed when they walk through the entry, which belies the magnificent venue inside."

The caveat of being a director: the cast's 'other directors!'

The trickiest part of directing might be "directing other directors!" (in the cast), Rardin said. Good directors come ultra-prepared with a vision for their own production. But sometimes, as in this "Lockerbie," the cast includes actors who are also directors.

"And sometimes it's a challenge keeping others' visions in check," Rardin said. On the other hand, having a group of directors at one's disposal is a bonus.

Bloomington's Bill Goveia usually auditions for shows, to challenge himself and to learn something from a role.

"In this show, the women are at the core," he said, "... and they drive the show. I like that these bigger issues are the backdrop for the personal, the real and immediate issues of day to day life."

Bloomington's Emily Bedwell knew "Lockerbie" would challenge her as a performer, plus she didn't know the script well. "I was struck with the magnitude of what the script's women wanted to do and why they wanted to do it. I know performers and audiences tend to gravitate to comedies, and I love the opportunity to dig into a drama that you can really feel."

Humor and horror in 'Lockerbie'

Bedwell's favorite section deals with contradictions, such as "how love and hate are opposite sides of a coin." The past few years have held losses for Bedwell, she said; this script was a chance to explore some of that.

The play's "use of humor amidst horror," Bedwell said, requires the playwright to juggle. "How do you talk about the loss of hundreds of lives but still give audiences a chance to laugh? How do you embrace the devastation of losing ones you love and still find reasons to smile?"

"This is a show does that, and it does it in one act," Bedwell said.

Another version of Lockerbie bombing coming to Netflix, the BBC

A six-part series about the events of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and the joint U.S.-Scottish inspection that looked for justice, “Lockerbie" will show how experts examined the bombing and its dreadful impact on Lockerbie and the bereaved families. The series covers the initial hunt for evidence on the ground in Scotland, via the U.S. and Malta, and ends with the 2000 trial at Camp Zeist (former U.S. Air Force base in Utrecht, Netherlands), bringing viewers to the most current indictment in December 2022. A Libyan national and resident of Tunisia pleaded not guilty, and his federal trial is scheduled for May 2025. He is the third Libyan that the U.S. has charged in connection with the terrorist attack, and the first to be brought to trial in the U.S.

If you go

WHAT: "The Women of Lockerbie, by Deborah Brevoort, a play about the events surrounding the 1988 Lockerbie, Scotland, terrorist bombing. Includes four Bloomington actors

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. April 12-13, 19-20 and at 2:30 p.m. April 14 and 21

WHERE: Brown County Playhouse, 70 S. Van Buren St., Nashville

TICKETS: $20 at the door or at browncountyplayhouse.org. Special needs seating is also $20 per person.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington actors perform in 'The Women of Lockerbie' in Brown County