'Scotland Road' production leads off Waldron season

The dramatic lure of the Titanic has not been lost on the theater world, as is demonstrated by the mystery "Scotland Road," the John Waldron Arts Center 2000-2001 theater series kick-off production. \nThe puzzles of this 1993 Jeffrey Hatcher work will be revealed Thursday through Sunday in the Rose Firebay of the John Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St.\n"Scotland Road" centers on a young woman, Winifred, and the single word she utters when rescued from the chilling clutches of an iceberg floating in the North Atlantic: "Titanic." An expert on the infamous liner suspects her to be a phony, but when the last living Titanic survivor is called in (Mrs. Kittle), Winifred remembers a confrontation the two had on the gargantuan ship on the night of its sinking. Death, identity crises and a surprise revelation ensue while Winifred treks one last time to Scotland Road.\nThe above synopsis is the extent of information on "Scotland Road" available since everyone involved with the production wants the plot kept hush-hush so the play's surprises are not known to the audience before entering the theater. All that director Sharon Porter-Phillips, who also directed "Inspecting Carol" last year at Waldron, would reveal about the production's mystery is that "what you think you know about each character is not so." \nBloomington Arts Area Council marketing director Jan Skinner said programs will not be distributed until after the play's conclusion so the surprise factor will remain intact.\nThe enigmatic characteristics of "Scotland Road" interested Porter-Phillips because of a nontheater related fascination.\n"I normally prefer comedy, but being an 'X-Files' fan, I thought it would be fun to do something entertaining, but off-beat," Porter-Phillips said. "And of course, the whole Titanic story is fascinating."\nJamie Brown Acres, a veteran actress of 35-years who portrays Dr. Halbrech, was also drawn to "Scotland Road" because of its mixture of the eccentric with the Titanic disaster.\n"I have almost every episode of 'The Twilight Zone' on tape. This play would have made a great episode," she said. "I also have been obsessed (with) the story of the Titanic ever since I was approximately 10 years old when I saw 'A Night to Remember' on TV ... . I have a copy of every movie made about the Titanic, lots of books—we use several during the play—sheet music, newspapers, puzzles, games, mementos and two actual pieces of coal from the Titanic."\nEven with so many similarities between "Scotland Road's" dynamics and Acres' interests, she said she is still challenged by her character.\n"My character is very different in personality from me," Acres said. "She is a loner. I am very much a people person. She is skeptical. I am an optimist.\n"I had to search deep to find those qualities within me and bring them to the surface and make them believable. My character also undergoes a change during the play that I had to portray realistically." \nPorter-Phillips said the "multi-dimensional aspect of each character" is one of the "joys of the play." This makes the actors more important than any other aspect of "Scotland Road."\n"It really is an actor's play, with sets and props almost nonsignificant," she said. "Well acted, ('Scotland Road') can be spell-binding"