Frigid Festival Previews

Freedom 85!

Produced by Hi-D Theatre

Author: Debra Hale

Freedom 85 was inspired by the late Sybil Collins, a very funny and spirited woman who served in World War II in Britain.  She moved to a retirement home and told me "I didn’t expect it to end like this."  In our play, this poignant situation becomes humorous too as she "breaks out" with the help of an alcoholic waitress. Another actress and I create a community of small town characters in Sybil's life both now and during wartime.  Expect to laugh and be moved as the two central characters find out how much they need each other.  Audiences have told us that our show has a big heart.

Seniors are moving into retirement homes in huge numbers.  How are they coping?  Do we still value their input and seek their connection to our communities and families?  Do we still need them? Judging from the response to the premiere of Freedom 85, we do!

I wrote the show as an acting challenge and it became anchored in the story of this wonderful woman who I still miss everyday. What fun for two actresses to play old men, young British Gals, a Jamaican Cook and a menacing biker, just to mention a few.  To me this is an exciting form of storytelling and theatrical magic that keeps an audience engaged and entertained.

Debra Hale, writer/actress