Collegiate Times

Abortion and miscarriage tend to be viewed and discussed through a political lens, but director Dorothy Cosby Atkinson wanted to dissect those issues from an emotional standpoint with her show combining two short plays, "That Midnight Rodeo" and "The Levee."

"That Midnight Rodeo" is about a married couple that is deciding whether to terminate a pregnancy, while "The Levee" deals with a couple struggling with multiple miscarriages.

The plays provide a snapshot of the couples dealing with difficult decisions and the two storylines are woven together for this production.

"I hope it's a conversation starter at least," said Cosby Atkinson, a first-year master of fine arts student in directing and public dialogue.

To research for this play, Cosby Atkinson sent an e-mail to family and friends asking them to share their experiences with miscarriages and abortion.

She heard back from more women than men, and discussed the plays with her husband to gain a male perspective.

She said even though miscarriages and abortion happen to women, "two people's lives are going to be affected by this."

This is her first time directing a show at Virginia Tech. Cosby Atkinson said she enjoyed working with a college-aged cast and they were very receptive to ideas she had.

The actors are responsible for tackling challenging issues and trying to pack an emotional punch in a 10 to 15 minute play.

"The actors have been known to collapse on the floor after rehearsal. Even after one run," Cosby Atkinson said.

Senior theatre arts major Alaina Coletti plays Paige, a woman who has had multiple miscarriages, and was one of the cast members who had to take breaks after performing.

Coletti said her character is distraught and saddened by the fact that she is unable to have a child -- a defining role to play in a woman's life.

"She feels she's such a failure in life," Coletti said of Paige's struggles. "If she can't grow a life, she has no purpose."

She said working on this play has made her think about the difficulties of having a child.

"When you're in high school, you think the first time you have sex you'll get pregnant, but it's not like that," Coletti said. "This made me think, would I keep trying? Would I put myself through this?"

Junior theatre arts and history major Clay Tolbert, who plays Paige's husband Keith, said one of the issues discussed during rehearsals was whether "The Levee," which deals with miscarriages, would resonate with college students -- most of whom are not trying to get pregnant and would probably identify more with "That Midnight Rodeo."

Working on the plays has made Tolbert more open to discussing the sensitive issues within each play.

"It's something that needs to be talked about, that needs to be discussed," Tolbert said. "(But) I wouldn't bring it up at the next party I have ... I honestly don't know if I'll ever be completely comfortable with it."

Tolbert had to research miscarriage and said it felt foreign to him. He said he became light-headed and uncomfortable during some discussions about female reproductive health.

"I can watch a really gory scene in a movie. The more violence the better," said Tolbert, but when it comes to the female cycle, "It bothers all males. And any guy who says he is OK with it is putting on bravado. Something about it is so creepy."

Tolbert's character Keith represents the male perspective on miscarriage. He said Keith feels useless throughout the process and secondary to the doctor, who can actually help his wife Paige.

"He's sitting on the sidelines," said Tolbert, who described the experience as difficult for men because, "they want to get in the game and fix the problem."

Tolbert said his character Keith is fixing a sink at the opening of the play because it's something that he can control and mend.

Despite the differing opinions of men and women in regards to both issues, the plays have universal appeal.

"Nobody wants to think about an unborn child dying," Tolbert said. "The fact that it's been brought up increases our ability to work through the problem."