When a veteran returns home, can he or she go back to where they left it? From Oct. 9-17, audiences will find out, when watching the Woodward and Newman Drama award-winning play, “Ugly Lies The Bone,” at Fordham College at Lincoln Center’s (FCLC) Pope Auditorium, the first mainstage production of the Fordham Theatre Program.

“The bigger picture in this issue is that when someone goes to war, everyone is affected -the person in the war, the family and friends. No one is left unscathed, and everyone has to work to create a new norm for themselves and with the veteran who comes home,” Carla Jackson, the theatre program administrator, said.

The main protagonist of “Ugly Lies the Bone,” Jess, is a war veteran who burned 80 percent of her body. When Jess returns home from war, her severe burn wounds render her completely unrecognizable and cause her to detach from her family, friends and fiancé. As a result, Jess has to work to restart and rebuild these relationships.

“We have been trying to deal with how to portray Jess with the actress. The war is in her past, but she carries war on her body,” Matthew Maguire, director of the theatre program at Fordham, said.

The therapy called “Snowworld” allows Jess to escape to a frigid world where she can forget her war scars. This form of therapy is unique, in that it does not require any usage of drugs to heal war wounds; rather, it immerses veterans like Jess in a virtual reality video game.  “The playwright of the play, Lindsey Ferrentino, takes an interesting approach to therapy,” Maguire said.

The cast features the following students in the Fordham theatre program. Meagan McLeod, FCLC ’15, will play Jess, and Michelle Ang, FCLC ’16, will play Kacie, Jess’ older sister. The cast includes Evan Sibley, FCLC ’16, Paul Alban, FCLC ’15 and Maya Davis, FCLC ’17.

This play, as well as the rest of the Fordham mainstage theatre season, asks the same question: “Can we see past the gunfire to peacetime, and do we want to?”

IF YOU GO
Ugly Lies The Bone
When: Oct. 9-11 and 15-17, All shows begin at 8 p.m.
Where: Pope Auditorium (113 West 60th Street)
Price: General Admission: $15, Fordham Alumni and Faculty: $10, Students and Senior Citizens: $5
RSVP:  Via phone: (212) 636-6340 or via email: [email protected]