PREVIEW 'Past Lives' looks at area's history

The pieces had been monologues but became dialogues.
By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
EAST LIVERPOOL -- Patti Swartz, associate professor of English at Kent State-East Liverpool, has created another play as part of the city historical society's oral history project.
The Potter Players will perform "Past Lives, Future Promise" for two weekends in March. Director Michele Burdett says the whole tri-state area surrounding East Liverpool is rich with fascinating history, which, because of this project, will not be lost as people die.
"The play covers from 1936, or maybe earlier, to 1973," said Burdett. "It is about things that happened in the past, how people lived, what was important. Though many of these oral history plays have been performed as readers' theater, I am choosing to stage this as much as possible, and the cast members are memorizing as much of their scripts as they can.
"We are performing it in the Salvation Army building, which is accessible for the physically challenged, so I'm not sure how much stage area we will have, but the cast will be in costume to reflect the era they represent, and we will have props to help identify the characters."
Changed to dialogues
Burdett said there will be six cast members who will play all the parts, and though the pieces were written as monologues, she has adjusted them to be dialogues, or allow interaction with other characters. They are a series of vignettes which flow from one to another and sometimes overlap. Doug Smith has written nine original songs, and he and Dave Smith will be playing keyboard and guitar.
"In 1850, East Liverpool was known as the pottery capital of the world. It was named Liverpool, because so many people came over from England," Burdett said. "Even 50 years ago, when the pottery plants and steel mills were in full swing, this was an area of great affluence. We had five separate theaters, and there was always so much to do downtown.
"The first act is about our past, and Act II covers current thoughts, and a brainstorming by the characters of what we can do to solve problems so that people will stay and create a better future. We are a small town with big-town problems, such as drugs, but less money for police and treatment centers."
Tales of the people
Burdett said that several of the vignettes are about people who worked in pottery plants. "One is a story about a mother telling her son that they weren't able to afford the things his friend had, but showing him all the good things they did have," she said. "Another tells of a woman who would come home from the pottery plant and her daughter would pick pieces of pottery out of her hair."
"One of the most interesting pieces is by an African-American man, who was originally going to perform, but was unable to be present both weeks," Burdett added. "We found a way to still keep his story alive. It tells of him learning to fly an airplane, because he had wanted to join the Tuskeegee Airmen, an all-black division of the Air Force. He also talked about being a very young child, and he and his friends would walk behind members of the Ku Klux Klan."
Burdett also said there will be someone available after all performances to facilitate discussions.