Play's tales will be told by those who lived them
By KAREN SHADE, 11/04/2009
Carol Ross holds her rifle and recalls memories of herself as a young girl (left) during Nightingale Theater's production of "God and the Ironing Board." SHERRY BROWN / Tulsa World
The stories of three people trying to make sense of their worlds come together under an unusual name.
"God and the Ironing Board," which plays at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, scans the religious and interior landscapes with a skeptical eye on dogma and a call to true compassion.
The play is made of three vignettes pulled from the lives of three people interviewed by No Walls Entertainment, said Ty Tyson, the play's director.
The three people were videotaped, the tapes transcribed, and from the transcription, a script was developed. "Tim's Story," "Steven's Story" and "Carol's Story" are each told by the people who lived them, with the cast assuming other roles through the three vignettes.
Tyson said the stories had a very definite impact on him — he wondered whether he had anything to complain about in his life after knowing what happened to the subjects.
"These people had tremendous trials. They're wonderful people and very well-adjusted — happy," he said.
Carol was abducted by a gas station attendant when she was a little girl. She became a nun and went into the Navy. Tim goes through every imaginable thing that could go wrong in a gay man's life. Steven grew up at the now-closed Hissom Memorial Center, an institution for people with developmental disabilities. When he left, he found a job and apartment.
"He had no furniture whatsoever; the only thing he had was an ironing board, and he used to sleep on the ironing board. He said God was standing over him to make sure he wouldn't fall off of it."
The play will be at the Nightingale Theater, 1416 E. Fourth St. Tickets are $10 on Thursday and Sunday and $20 Friday-Saturday, available for purchase at the door or by calling Tyson at 747-6300.