The Bloomington Playwrights Project production of “Ugly Lies the Bone” chronicles Jess’s struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder through humor and heartbreak.
Following its run in Bloomington, the play will be performed off-Broadway. The play opened April 3 in Bloomington, and performers and audience members alike said the performances have been going well.
Senior Alex Gaby, who is a student of the play’s director, David Anspaugh, said he thought the play was ?interesting.
“It was a very kinda neat experience,” Gaby said. “It was kind of interesting how there was this balance between realism and this kind of weird, not fantasy, but more like surreal kind of elements that kind of ?contrasted well.”
The play lets audiences experience the reality beyond the stage that veterans face, depicting difficult moments such as Jess’ with simple tasks and a PTSD breakdown. To counteract these scenes, the play includes comments from characters that offer comedic relief.
Benjamin Nichols, a sophomore who is also a student of the director, said he liked the show as well.
“I thought the acting was really strong, and I thought that the story was really quickly paced and really hit home emotionally,” he said.
Christianna Nelson, who plays Jess, said she has spoken with veterans who saw the show, and she liked to hear that they can relate to the performance.
“If this kind of a play can help these people to feel less lonely, then that’s why I do what I do,” Nelson said.
Although the actors must perform “Ugly Lies the Bone” several times, Nelson said no performance is the same.
“Every audience changes the experience,” Nelson said. “You always want to work hard to keep it fresh ... every time you do it, you discover something new about it.”
David Sheehan, who plays Jess’s ex-boyfriend, Stevie, said the shows have been going well.
“It’s been going great. It’s a beautiful piece, and I mean it’s really difficult because of the subject matter, but we’re in the comfortable stages of the run at this point.” ?Sheehan said.
Scott Parnell, who plays Kelvin, the boyfriend of Jess’s sister, said he has been proud of the performances.
“It seems like the show’s just gotten better as the runs went on,” Parnell said. “I’m only as good as the cast that I’m with, and this one really pushed me to my limits to be a better actor.”
Ugly Lies the Bone will show again April 16 to 18 in the Bloomington Playwrights Project theater.
Tickets can be bought online at newplays.org.
