SOMEONE WILL REMEMBER US Comes to Trinity Rep Next Month

Trinity Repertory Company will present the world premiere of Someone Will Remember Us by Deborah Salem Smith and Charlie Thurston, and co-created by Dr. Michelle Cruz, Smith, and Thurston. Directed by Christopher Windom, this production tells the powerfull, real-life stories of local Iraq War veterans, resettled refugees, and their families. 

“This show is incredibly necessary right now because it is about how people have a remarkable ability to come together after conflict,” the Laura H. Harris Artistic Director Curt Columbus said. “It shows us that no matter what side of a conflict someone is on, people face the same struggles and consequences. It shows Rhode Islanders and their stories from a global perspective and gives us hope for the future.” 

In 2006, Trinity Rep told the true, poignant stories of Rhode Islanders deployed in Iraq with the play Boots on the Ground. Nearly 20 years later, how does this legacy live on… and what have we forgotten? Someone Will Remember Us interlaces the real-life testimonies of U.S. military veterans, a Gold Star family, Iraqi civilians, and refugees living in Rhode Island. As conflict wages on multiple fronts around the world, this production paints a moving portrait of the innumerable tolls of war, and how we find connection throughout. 

"When we did Boots on the Ground soon after the US invaded Iraq, everything about the war felt sudden, changing individuals, families, and entire communities," Someone Will Remember Us and Boots on the Ground playwright Deborah Salem Smith said. "Two decades later, we still have troops in Iraq. Those touched by the war are still coming to terms with the profound impact it has on their lives and the lives of others. I am struck by the fact that although there are heartbreaking moments in these stories, there is also humor, sweetness, and hope. It has been such an honor to meet so many incredible people, both for the original project, and now many years later for this new play."  

Deborah Salem Smith is Trinity Rep's playwright-in-residence. Her plays include Radical (co-written with Charlie Thurston), Anna K., Faithful Cheaters, Love Alone, Some Things Are Private, and Boots on the Ground (co-created with Laura Kepley). She has been awarded an Emerging American Artist Fulbright, a National Mellon Fellowship, an Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, and a Jane Chambers Playwriting Award Honorable Mention; as well as finalist for the National Lambda Literary Award in Drama and for the IRNE Award for Best New Play. Smith has been a Huntington Theatre Playwriting Fellow, a MacDowell Colony Resident, and a recipient of the Bray Visiting Scholar/Creative Artist Fellowship.  

Charlie Thurston has written plays for Huntington Theatre Company, The Filigree Theatre, Wilbury Theatre Group, Local Theater Company, and Creede Repertory Theatre. A resident artistic company member since 2013, he is best known to Rhode Island audiences as an actor. Trinity Rep performance highlights include The Prince of Providence, The Song of Summer, Ragtime, Othello, Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage, and A Christmas Carol. He has performed extensively at New York and regional theaters including New York Theatre Workshop, Roundabout Theatre, Yale Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, Philadelphia Theater Co., American Repertory Company, Goodspeed Musicals, and Cleveland Play House; as well as in film and television. 

Dr. Michelle Cruz is an award-winning singer, songwriter, curator, and arts advocate who believes in the power of storytelling to make change. As Trinity Rep's former director of community engagement, she created programs such as Community Sing, Project RE-Discovery, and two veteran-centered initiatives: Veteran Voices and The Green Light Ghost Light Project. Beyond Trinity Rep, Cruz has performed nationally and internationally, including opening for The Roots and performing for the founder of the Newport Jazz and Newport Folk Festivals' “George Wein and Friends.” 

An alum of the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA in Directing Program, Christopher Windom previously helmed Trinity Rep's critically acclaimed production of August Wilson's Fences (2024). He has directed at theaters across the country, including Alley Theatre, Cleveland Play House, The Public Theater's Mobile Unit, Guthrie Theater, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Signature Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, and TheatreWorks (Palo Alto). He also choreographed the first live production of the animated film Frozen for Disneyland Resort at Disneyland, and the feature film Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson. 

"This play embodies the fundamental principles that made me fall in love with theater in the first place: stories about humanity, cultural visibility, and a creative approach to storytelling,” Windom said. “Because this production is a premiere presentation, we're all going on a great adventure with a deeply compelling script for a map. I'm eager to share with audiences the collaborative efforts of our writers, actors, and design team. It's my honor to be part of this production. “ 

Windom will lead a creative team including scenic designer Tanya Orellana, Costume Designer Shahrzad Mazaheri, lighting designer Emma Deane, sound designer Peter Sasha Hurowitz, and vocal & dialect coach Sade Namei. 

The eight-person ensemble portrays multiple roles throughout the production, including refugees, veterans, and Gold Star family members. The cast features resident company members Stephen Thorne and Rachael Warren, Brown/Trinity Rep MFA in Acting student Allison Jones, Teatro en El Verano alum Ashley Aldarondo, returning guest artists Jihan Haddad and Dereks Thomas, and the Trinity Rep debuts of Josephine Moshiri Elwood and Jade Ziane. 

Someone Will Remember Us continues Trinity Rep's longstanding tradition of community partnerships. Operation Stand Down Rhode Island, a non-profit dedicated to serving veterans in need; and Refugee Dream Center, a post-resettlement agency serving refugees from all over the world who have since made Rhode Island their home, are two such partners that Trinity Rep will uplift during the run. 

Continuing Trinity Rep's tradition of offering affordable tickets for all, the theater will hold a Pay What You Wish performance of Someone Will Remember Us on Thursday, January 23, 2025, at 7:30 pm. Pay What You Wish tickets go on sale at 2:00 pm the day of the performance and are limited to two per person. 

Returning this season are Neighborhood Nights, where Rhode Island residents can access a 20% discount on Sunday evening performances, based on where they live. Providence County residents are eligible for a Neighborhood Night discount for every Sunday evening performance. The Neighborhood Night performances for Kent County, Washington County, and Bristol & Newport County residents are on February 2, 16, and 23, respectively. Guests may claim this discount by entering their county name in all capital letters at checkout (i.e., PROVIDENCE).  

The Sensory Friendly performance of Someone Will Remember Us, designed to meet the needs of guests with sensitivities to light and sound, will be held on Wednesday, February 12 at 7:30 pm. All performances in the final week of the run (February 19 – 23) are Open-Captioned. To learn more, visit trinityrep.com/accessibility. 

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