In the rehearsal room, the actors lean into silence, testing the weight of pauses and the rawness of words that mirror real human pain. The play they’re preparing isn’t lighthearted or whimsical — it’s about scars, survival, and the slow process of starting over.
Lamar University’s department of theatre & dance will present “Ugly Lies the Bone,” Sept. 25-28 in the Studio Theatre.
Lindsey Ferrentino’s contemporary drama, directed by Alan Brincks, explores the struggles of Jess (Gracie Parsley), a war veteran returning home to Florida after sustaining severe injuries in Afghanistan.
Ferrentino’s script blends real-world touchstones — from NASA’s final shuttle launch to early experiments with virtual-reality rehabilitation — with intimate, fictionalized portraits of trauma and healing. For Brincks, that balance makes the play a natural fit for Lamar’s season.
“When we look at shows, we ask, ‘Is it a good script, what can the students learn from it, and what will the audience take away?’” Brincks said. “This play has challenges for the actors, opportunities for student designers and meaningful conversations for the community. It’s contemporary, it’s raw and it’s timely.”
Working on “Ugly Lies the Bone” is both challenging and rewarding, Parsley said. Playing Jess has required significant research into the realities of burn survivors.
“It’s difficult to capture the physicality of someone who’s endured that kind of pain,” Parsley said. “But it’s also rewarding, because these are real, lived experiences for people. It makes me want to honor that truth in performance.”
Shelby Eason plays Jess’ sister, Kacie. She said the play deals with weighty issues that are a challenge to interpret but she finds balance in the support of the ensemble.
“This play can take you to a really deep and heavy place,” Eason said. “But knowing I have this group around me, people who pick me back up, makes it possible to go there. We’re telling a story that’s bigger than us.”
Brincks said cast and crew approached the sensitive themes of war and trauma with care. Students consulted research and also invited a Lamar history professor and military veteran to speak about her experiences. The rehearsal room, Brincks said, became a place of both artistic exploration and empathy-building.
Ferrentino’s script, though grounded in specific realities, also leaves space for interpretation, Brincks said. He encouraged his actors and designers to bring their own ideas to the table.
“Theater isn’t about one person dictating everything,” he said. “It’s an ensemble art form. My job is to shape, but also to let students exercise their own creative voices.”
The production has also provided technical challenges, with set, lighting and sound working together to create the immersive world of Titusville, Florida, giving students professional-level experience in collaboration and storytelling.
Beyond the stage, Brincks said he hopes the play sparks conversations about veterans’ experiences, PTSD and resilience.
“Visibility matters,” he said. “For people who’ve lived through these struggles, seeing them represented onstage shows that others believe their stories are important enough to tell.”
For the actors, the lessons go beyond acting. Parsley said she hopes audiences walk away remembering that honesty is the only way to move forward — “With yourself and with others.”
Brincks described the production in four words: “healing through forward motion.”
“It’s why we do theater — to create empathy, to see the world through someone else’s perspective,” Brincks said. “That’s the story we’re telling together.”
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