Ran From: March 24, 2017 – April 2, 2017 in Bowne’s Lab Theatre

(W/ Previews on March 22 & 23, 2017)

The Story:

The pilot in this story controls a U.S. Military class Reaper Drone from behind a desk with views of blue and gray screens, a joystick, and a button to fire. George Brant’s one-woman show takes us through the mindset of a pilot who works for the military by day and comes home to her husband and daughter by night, like any normal mother. She served several tours in Iraq but was relocated back to the states because of her pregnancy. Her ties to the battlefield in Iraq and mounting pressure of her job results in the blue skies she is used to turning into gray “blips” on a screen. Grounded presents our audience with a look at one soldier’s mental health after years of serving in the military. She balances her job’s incredible responsibility while separating two lives, two very different realities, through the lens of the virtual landscape.

The Forums Question

Forums Question: Grounded

Linda Harradine, Executive Director of Legal Aid of Manasota posed this question for this year’s online discussion. Read her bio by clicking here. The Question As drone strikes have increased there are more questions than answers surrounding the legal, ethical, and moral implications of these attacks.

Blogs from Grounded

Feminism and War: Two Opposing Views

By Robin Mackey | “If Afghan men are oppressive because they inflict violence against Afghan women, then so too are American women who do the same.” The following articles reflect the opposing views of two women concerned with the Global War on Terror and the U.S.’s employment of drone strikes.

Eye in the Sky: The Life of a Drone Pilot

By Jordan Nickels | “Every so often, you have technologies that come along that rewrite the rules of the game.” – P.W. Singer – Author, Wired for War These soldiers spend the day piloting military drones at control center in Nevada, and come home to their wife and kids at the dinner table each night.

Getting it Right: Military Theatre

By Robin Mackey | The majority of military plays that have been written and produced post-Operation Iraqi Freedom are plays that reflect the consequence of America’s negligence towards veterans. Many challenges plague our veterans – including reintegrating into society, navigating mental health and moral injury. While utilizing art as a vehicle to raise awareness and…

From the Dialogues on Diversity 2016-2017 Forums Season