Four women: a wealthy and sexually charged mother, a rough-and-tumble french-fry "technician," a cute yet ill-witted bus driver and their genuinely dedicated counselor. They have one secret issue in common: they are all alcoholics.
These are the characters of "American Airborne," a play put on by the department of theater and dance from Feb. 7-10 and directed by the Greg Natale.
"American Airborne" is the story of three very different women from very different socio-economic backgrounds. Each of the three has committed different crimes while intoxicated, but rather than being sent to jail, they have been ordered to take up residence in a detox facility with a counselor who is also a recovering alcoholic.
After a tension-filled attempt at an intervention session, several personality clashes and one near-death experience, the message becomes clear that the only way these women will overcome their alcoholism is to work together.
One of the most difficult struggles for the characters is the acceptance of the idea that they are, in fact, alcoholics, and that neither resistance to accept this fact nor quiet compliance to the rules will get them anywhere within the program.
The counselor Marge (played by Kelli Bocock-Natale) approaches this struggle toward the end of the show when she admits to Betty and Iris (Elba Sette-Camara and Kelly Ferguson) that, after 13 years of sobriety, she has fallen off the wagon and must start her journey all over again.
"I'm an alcoholic," Marge asserts. "The only difference (from you) is that I can admit it."
Director Natale worked on the original one-act production of the show in New York City in 1988 for a small company called Working Stages. Since that time, it has been expanded to a two-act show, but he has held onto the script for the past 14 years.
When Center for the Arts Marketing Director Bocock-Natale and seniors Amanda Caserella and Ferguson approached Natale about working on a show together, Natale said "American Airborne" was the first to come to his mind.
He noted the difficulty of acting challenging performances such as "American Airborne."
"I feel really good about this show," Natale said. "I am just so proud of them; they really brought their characters to life."
