‘Miracle Worker’ play coming to local theater

Once locked in a world of silence, love and patience would be the keys that would set her free.

That drama will take place on stage this weekend when the Auburn Area Community Theatre presents the “Miracle Worker” by William Gibson, the story of Helen Keller’s childhood and struggle to learn to communicate with others as she copes with being deaf and blind with the help of Annie Sullivan, a governess.

The “Miracle Worker” will mark the AACT’s 18th production since it began in 2002, according to Director and AACT Chairman of the Board Andrea Holmes.

The AACT production of the “Miracle Worker” has 16-member cast that includes sisters Natalie and Emily Stephens who portray the roles of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan, respectively.

Selecting the right personality to fill the role of an actor that did not have any actual spoken lines was one of the more challenging but rewarding aspects of putting together this production, Holmes said.

“As a director, I was looking for an actress whose face and body language could express all the things that Helen Keller would’ve been unable to say,” Holmes said.

The recurring theme of keys, doors and locks are something else Holmes said audiences that view the AACT’s production of the “Miracle Worker” should look for.

“Every character in the play, and maybe all of us to some degree, are trying to break out of our prisons and relate to someone else,” Holmes said. “I don’t think it’s Helen’s potential that drives Annie Sullivan to persist, but Annie’s unwillingness to abandon Helen to a future where she is locked in and alone that does.”

If You Go

What: Auburn Area Community Theatre present the ‘Miracle Worker’
When: Nov. 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14 at 7 p.m.; Nov. 9 and 15 at 2 p.m.
Where: Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center, 222 E. Drake Ave., Auburn. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students and $6 for kids ages 5 to 10. For reservations, call 741-5333.