On the WorcesterMass website there is a collection of written stories from locals, entitled, “Your Fondest Memory of Places in Worcester.” One author wrote: “I grew up on Providence Street, right across from Worcester Academy…I can tell you that it was a great neighborhood to be brought up in. Everyone cared about everyone, and we shared a common grief when the Blue Starred Flags during WWII turned to Gold Stars.”
During WWII, families placed flags in their windows with a Blue Star for every household member at war, which then was changed to Gold upon news of a death. When I first read this, I was taken aback by the immediacy and relevance of this statement to our production. Mere blocks, houses, steps away from where you are currently sitting, here at Worcester Academy, was a street lined with stars, filling this space and place with both shared honor and shared grief.
As a dramaturg, this local story, this memory, offered an insight and understanding into the world of this play. The presence of war; the absence of family. The constant reminder that there is no knowing if a loved one is or isn’t alive. Yet, despite all of this, it is the collective, the neighborhood which is remembered of this time, this place, and this world. Community – it Lingers.
Enjoy the show!
Lydia Cochran
