Interview: Alliyah Corley on Directing Rollins College's DYING CITY for Student-Run Rollins Players

Every year at the anniversary of 9/11, we stop and reflect about where we were, who was lost and the events that followed. It always catches me by surprise how much time has passed since 2001. DYING CITY is a play that follows one family's life after 9/11, but not in the way you may think. Student director, Alliyah Corley took some time to answer BroadwayWorld Orlando's questions about the show.

Hi Alliyah, I am not familiar with DYING CITY. Could you tell us what the play is about?

Dying City revolves around two identical twin brothers, Peter and Craig, and Kelly, Craig's wifE. Kelly is a therapist and Craig is a Black Hawk Pilot for the United States Army. In the wake of 9/11 and the beginning of the Iraq war, Craig is getting ready to leave for deployment once again and we see him and Kelly's interaction on his last night at home. In the present, Peter unexpectedly shows up at Kelly's apartment a year after his twin brother has passed away. The story that the Army has given everyone is that his gun accidentally went off and killed him while he was overseas. However, Peter doesn't believe this to be true and believes that his brother actually committed suicide and has come back to figure out if he can prove his theory. As time jumps back and forth, pieces about all three of their lives are revealed and we are left to decide for ourselves which story is the truth. The play discusses themes of PTSD, war, and relationships in very real ways and if anything, teaches us that everyone has their own inner struggle.

So there is some time jumping in the play between the last time Kelly sees her husband and her moments with her husband's brother, Peter. As a director, were there any challenges in ensuring that this comes across on stage?

The biggest challenge would be that Peter and Craig are played by the same actor. Evan does a wonderful job distinguishing between the two characters, but we had to do a lot of work on it. Even though they are twins, they are two very different people and establishing that was the top priority before jumping into the time changes. The transitions were the other challenge because I had to make sure there was a smooth transition from the present to the past without too much confusion for the audience. I think we developed a simple yet effective plan for tackling those transitions and I'm excited for people to see it.

I lived in New York during 9/11 and have very clear memories of where I was during the attacks. What memories do you have of the day?

I was only six so there's not much I do remember. But I vividly recall everyone getting picked up from school all of a sudden and not being able to understand why. I also remember seeing the image on TV and feeling upset even though I didn't really know what was going on. I feel as though because of the fact that I'm a millennial there are few things in school we've learned about more than 9/11. I felt like I had a very good grasp on the concept which is a main point in the backstory of this play.

We all tend to deal with tragedy in our own way. In this play, one of two characters, Kelly, deals with her husband's death. What does this play highlight in terms of dealing with loss?

This play definitely highlights multiple stages of grief and how different people deal with loss. Kelly is comfortable in the denial and "everything is gonna be okay" stage. This is true for Kelly with any kind of upsetting situation, not just death. Peter, on the other hand, is still in the state of mourning and has even entered the angry state and because of that, he kind of forces Kelly to actually deal with her feelings for the first time instead of hiding them. We do see Kelly break down which I think is one the best moments in the play. You can't let go of something you don't allow yourself to feel and deal with, you know?

The play also discusses PTSD, which is still difficult for some to discuss publicly. Why do you suppose that is? Does the play help lessen any of the stigma that people may feel?

In my opinion PTSD is often grazed over because if you've never been through it yourself or had someone close to you go through it, it's hard to understand. Many people don't understand why a person can't just let go of a traumatic event that is causing them pain. You talk about it a little in psychology classes but if that's not your focus in school, that's really all the information you get about it and it's not enough. I think this play speaks to people with PTSD or depression or anxiety and tells them you have to be honest with yourself about what you're feeling because that's the first step towards getting better. What it says to people that have never experienced anything like this before is that it's real, it's important, and it should definitely be talked about before it's too late.

Is the play as heavy as the synopsis makes it seem, or do you find light moments within it?

It's certainly packed with heavy content but there are light moments. Peter is actually very comedic and I like that we are able to see that side of him. There will be moments of laughter especially because the relationship between Kelly and Peter is comically awkward and there will be moments between Craig and Kelly that are sweet. However, I think the heavy content is important and is why this play was a finalist for the Pulitzer.

What do you hope audiences take away after seeing DYING CITY?

I hope the audience will find pieces of themselves in the characters and I hope that this will encourage them to let themselves and the people around them feel whatever they are feeling without judgment. Today's society makes it seem like being emotional is a bad thing and that people who "feel too much" have mental conditions and have to be labeled as that and I just don't believe in it. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, are all things you can have, but that doesn't mean that's who you are. It is necessary to be truthful to ourselves about what we are feeling while also remembering that our emotions don't define us as people.

Thank you so much for your time!

DYING CITY was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2009. Directed by Alliyah Corley, DYING CITY has a quick run at Rollins College's Fred Stone Theater from October 19th to October 22nd. For tickets and more information visit http://www.rollins.edu/annie-russell-theatre/fred-stone-theatre.

Photo credit: DYING CITY/Rollins College