What's Beneath The Surface

Sarah and Libby are sisters, both widowed, both near the end of their lives.

During a summer spent at a seaside house in Maine in the mid-1950s, they reflect on those lives, their relationship, the passage of time and the summers they had enjoyed there in the past.

"The Whales of August" "is a quiet play strong with undercurrents of tension," says Jonelle Grace Lipscomb, who plays Libby in the Arts Center of the Ozarks production opening tonight, "a glimpse into how life really is."

"It is a story about relationships and the way we struggle to balance our need for personal happiness with our obligations to those we love," the veteran actress goes on. "I believe people will recognize parts of their own struggles in the struggles of the characters."

Donna Rollene, who plays Sarah, turned to her own mother for advice.

"She has given me greater understanding of the aged with the struggles they face, and how they respond," Rollene says. "I have gone over lines with her; each time we work on it she gives me new ideas, or explains some of her own feelings."

"I saw 'The Whales of August' at ACO in 1994 and was taken with the sweetness and hopefulness of the show," adds director Evan Crawford. "There are many non-verbals in this show, and finding the humor and pain in the silences [has been] fun to explore since the characters have a lot of history with each other."

Crawford points out that "as always at ACO, once you've been in a show together, you become family." Both Lipscomb and Rollene are returning to the ACO stage.

"This is my second role with ACO," Rollene says. "I was the Mother Abbess in the 2014 production of 'Sound of Music.'"

"I first performed with ACO in the 1980s when I performed in 'The Heiress' and 'Gin Game,'" Lipscomb says. "Then, in 1992, I had the wonderful opportunity to perform in the one-woman show 'Shirley Valentine.' I am very excited to be back on stage at ACO and happy that I can be part of Harry and Kathi's last year.

"I have not been on stage in a number of years, and this is the perfect play in which to return," Lipscomb goes on. "It is very much a character driven play, which I love. I have truly enjoyed delving into the back story of Libby and the layers that make her a three-dimensional person. The biggest challenge is that even though I am an 'older' actor, I am still quite a bit younger than Libby. I strive to make Libby genuine and not a depiction of someone older."

"The biggest challenge has been memorizing the lines because they are full of subtext," Rollene says. "It has made all of us dig much deeper than the black and white words on a page. We are having to work to find the 'raw' within ourselves such as understanding compassion and limits, accepting with grace our brokenness and need for others during aging and impending death, and living in the present while treasuring our past in order to make us stronger and wiser.

"It challenges us to listen and learn," she adds. "It reminds me of I Kings 19, when God sent the wind, earthquake and fire to Elijah on Mt. Horeb, only to speak to Elijah in a gentle breeze after ... Our society may be getting bigger and louder, and I like a good action-adventure picture myself, but we all have the need to center down. We can't just stay in the shallows and we can't just stay in the deeps; we need both to experience a truly enriched life."

"I was raised by my grandparents and so I draw heavily from them -- especially my grandmother," Lipscomb says. "I loved her dearly ... I also was blessed with the opportunity to know my husband's mother and aunt. Their relationship provided me much insight into the relationship of Libby and Sarah. I dedicate my performance to the memory of these three amazing women: Gladys Tarkington, Bernice Lipscomb and Lucille Weiss.

"I hope [audience members] reflect on their own lives, know that they are not alone in the choices that sometimes have to be made, and cherish the time they still have with the older people in their lives."

NAN What's Up on 02/05/2016