APRIL 08, 2022, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A13
The cast of Independence is, from left: Isabella Steele, Rebecca Rowland Hines (in chair), Abby Jones and Yelena King.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Four-character play opens at KCC on April 15
By LYNDON ZAITZ
Of the Keizertimes
Independence, a four-character play,
will be staged by Trill Performing Arts at
Keizer Homegrown Theatre’s stage at the
Keizer Cultural Center, opening Friday,
April 15.
The play, by noted playwright Lee
Blessing (“A Walk in the Woods”), is the
story of four women struggling to create
a sense of family.
Co-directors of the show are Joseph
Silva, founder of Trill Performing Arts,
based in Monmouth, and Valerie Steele;
both have helmed a number of previ-
ous stage productions in the region.
They drew their cast of women from the
Portland-Salem area.
Rebecca Rowland Hines of Portland
plays Evelyn, the mother of the three
other characters. Yelena King of
Hillsboro plays Kess, who comes home to
help her sisters care for their controlling
mother. The sisters are played by Isabella
Steele of West Salem (Jo) and Abby
Jones (Sherry).
After a four-year absence, old wounds
open quickly. The four women try to
fashion some sense of family. As the
strain becomes greater, each woman
must come to terms with who they are,
and whether reconciliation is possible.
“The appeal of the show to directors
comes from the unforgettable charac-
ters,” said Silva. “It is a tightly knit script;
the relationships are complex, but the
story is easy to follow and always makes
sense.”
The strongest theme in the show is
the running question for each character:
Who are they as individuals? How can
they accept each other in the face of such
strong differences? Can they unite into a
true family?
Isabella Steele was attracted by
the depiction of mental health in an
unhealthy family dynamic.
“I play Jo. She is a fixer and romantic.
She is the middle daughter and the world
is on her shoulders,” she said.
“She (Jo) is concerned about her
mother’s mental health and doing every-
thing she can to provide for her family.”
Isabella Steele said it was a challenge
to pinpoint the transformative moments
of Jo’s character arc to believably depict
her growth from being a victim to gain-
ing courage and independence.
“I want audiences to feel like they
just witnessed a pivotal moment in this
family’s life where they can finally break
the cyclical familial abuse and walk away
stronger then ever,” said Steele.
King was drawn to the complexity and
depth of the characters.
"These women feel real, and the story
feels footed in reality, as well. You prob-
ably know someone in your life that
resembles as least one of these women...
or you will thank your lucky stars that
you don't," said King.
All the actors in Independence have
plenty of previous stage experience.
Rowland Hines comes from a theatrical
family. King won a best actress award in
Portland for her lead role in Rabbit Hole
at Mask and Mirror Community Theatre
(Tigard). Jones, though relatively new to
acting, made her mark in Salem with her
performance in Chicago.
All of the action of Independence
takes place in the living room of Evelyn.
The set was designed by Dave Berrier.
Costumes are by Valerie Steele. The pro-
duction crew are all volunteers of the the
non-profit Trill Performing Arts.
“Our mission,” said Silva, “is to unite
people and enrich communities through
the performing arts.
Independence is being performed at
Keizer Homegrown Theatre at the invita-
tion of KHT founder and president Linda
Baker.
“Keizer Homegrown Theatre has been
generous in its support of this effort,”
Silva said. KHT board member Loriann
Schmidt designed the lighting for the
production.
Independence opens on Friday, April
15, and runs through Sunday, April 24.
Performances are at 7 p.m. on Fridays
and Saturdays, with 2 p.m. matinees on
Sundays. Tickets are $15.
Following Keizer Homegrown Theatre
COVID protocols, vaccines and masks
are required for audience members.
Rebecca Rowland Hines and Abby Jones in a scene from Independence.
SUBMITTED PHOTO