A drama from the heart: ‘The Tin Woman’ explores lives of transplant recipient, donor

SEQUIM — Audiences can expect a heartfelt performance with Olympic Theatre Arts’ new show, “The Tin Woman.”

“The Tin Woman” written by Sean Grennan and directed by Jim Guthrie, is about a woman named Joy (Rebecca Horst) who receives a heart transplant and her heart transplant donor Jack (Edwin Anderson III) and his family.

“The Tin Woman” opens tonight at OTA. Shows are scheduled for Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through May 6.

All performances will be on the Caldwell main stage at OTA, 414 N. Sequim Ave.

Tickets are $16 for adults and $12 for students with school ID at the box office.

Guthrie, who also has directed “Over the River and Through the Woods” and “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” at Olympic Theatre Arts, said this is the most challenging play he’s directed so far.

He describes the show as a drama with some comedy elements.

“The script is more of a screenplay than it is a play,” he said.

The play was originally written more for television audiences with fast scene changes and flashbacks, Guthrie said, and due to the fast-paced nature of the show it came to him to do the set minimally, focusing more on the actors. He also uses background lighting to portray the changing mood of the scenes and how the characters feel.

“It’s a really good cast,” Guthrie said. “I think [the audience] will relate to the characters once they get to know them.”

Cast members said the play is a more dramatic and “risky” show, revolving around how the characters are brought together when Joy receives Jack’s heart.

“The part of Joy is very heavy,” Horst said. “It’s established from the beginning that Joy is very empty.”

Horst said Joy is a 35-year-old woman who doesn’t have any family or close relationships, nor does she have any faith. When she receives the heart from her donor, Jack, she said she receives much more than just a heart.

“She’s gets this heart from this guy who has everything,” Horst said.

Anderson said he believes the show is from his character Jack’s point of view as a spirit on stage and his efforts to try and get his family together with his heart recipient.

“My character is trying to push [Joy] into relationships she hasn’t had for a long time and trying to get her to reconnect with that side of her humanity,” Anderson said.

“The primary drama is him trying to find a way to bring Joy together with his family and he can’t move on until that happens,” he said.

While Anderson said he is on stage for the entire show, he has very few lines, challenging him to focus on acting with limited dialogue.

“This is the first character I’ve played where I’m on stage the entire time but I hardly ever talk,” he said.

“I’m almost entirely silent, which is why I wanted to audition for [the part] because I get a chance to do a lot more physical acting.”

The cast said they believe the audience will be able to relate to the characters one way or another.

“It’s so simple but there’s so much weight in the power of the emotions coming through,” Anderson said.

The other cast members in the show include Cindy Cline as Darla, Sara Nicholls as Alice, Joe Schulz as Hank and Melissa Karapostoles as Sammy.

For more information about show times or tickets, visit http://olympictheatre arts.org/OTA/.

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Erin Hawkins is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach her at ehawkins@sequimgazette.com.