'Ugly Lies the Bone' puts veterans' experiences centerstage
Apr. 22—LANESBORO, Minn. — A special production addressing veterans issues is on the stage at Commonweal Theatre in Lanesboro, Minnesota.
"Ugly Lies the Bone" centers on a veteran who returns home from a third, and volunteer, tour of duty in Afghanistan dealing with disfiguring injuries and a home she hardly recognizes.
The show, in its third week of performances, has already drawn an intense response from audiences including veterans and families of veterans for its depiction of PTSD and the struggles of returning home.
"It's so real, I want to say the word 'raw' in its humanity," said Adrienne Sweeney, artistic director at Commonweal. "It's like a microcosm of life."
The play, written by Lindsey Ferrentino and published in 2015, depicts the experiences of a veteran named Jess, played by Laurie Roberts. Jess was honorably discharged from the Army after being badly injured and burned in an improvised explosive detonation. She returns to her hometown on Florida's Space Coast to find a once thriving community turning into a ghost town as NASA scales back its space operations and ends the space shuttle program.
Jess tries a new type of therapy for treatment of her burns that immerses her — and the audience — in a virtual reality world.
The therapy is based on real-life treatment some veterans with similar injuries have received, Sweeney said.
"The science behind it, your brain is bombarded by other sensory overload, it distracts the brain," she said.
Those are just the settings the audience follows Jess through. The audience is immersed on all walls by the virtual reality world.
"Like any wonderful and beautiful play, it's so much more than that," Sweeney said.
The humanity of the show comes from the script and the actors' portrayals, she said.
The effects, the makeup and other aspects of the show pushed the actors and crew to their limits to do the script justice, Sweeney added.
"It's one of those shows where everybody brought their A-game," she said.
Commonweal offers a Blue Star discount to all of its shows for military members and veterans. A free performance of "Ugly Lies the Bone" will be offered May 5, 2024, to mark Military Appreciation Month. The performance will be followed by a post-show discussion and a happy hour social at the Lanesboro VFW.
"Ugly Lies the Bone" runs through July 6.
What: "Ugly Lies the Bone" free military appreciation performance
When: 1:30 p.m., Sunday, May 5
See
for details.
Where: Commonweal Theatre Company, Lanesboro, Minnesota.
Tickets: Call 507-467-2525, or email tickets@commonwealtheatre.org.
