By Samantha Wood –
Immediately upon entering the small Megley Theatre at Salve Regina, audience members were greeted with an enthusiastic, “Hey! Look who’s here! here you are!” from the eight members of the cast and given Mardi Gras beads, effectively creating the atmosphere of the fun New Orleans nightlife. As the show began, the sounds of rushing water, clashes of lightning, and wind quickly washed away that party atmosphere, just as Hurricane Katrina did on August 29, 2005. The play took the audience on a emotional journey, bringing about hope and despair with every search for a dog or cat in the wrecked houses that lined the streets of New Orleans.
Whether an animal person or not, this play hit hard. One audience member, Salve student Alli Montecillo, said, “I have no pets, but this play was so inspiring. The actors really brought it to life, making the situations so relatable.” One can’t help but think what it would have been like to be in that situation, to be forced to leave your beloved pets, members of your family, behind as you fled for your lives.
Media Credit: No Words cast - The cast members pay a visit to New Orleans in preparation for their production for Because They Have No Words.
Because They Have No Words was written by Tim Maddock and Lotti Louise Phariss. According to Salve Today, the play is chronicling the “true story of Maddock’s animal rescue work in New Orleans after hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit in 2005.” The play shows a side of the Katrina disaster that people had never seen before. Many don’t take into consideration the hundreds of pets that had to be left behind when their families evacuated, and how they needed to be saved and reunited.
Maddock’s play brought the audience right into the action— into every emotion of the characters. It comments on the disorganization of the organizations in charge of putting together these search and rescue missions. Once an animal was found, reuniting with the family was the most complicated part.
Tim’s character, portrayed by senior Owen Murphy, spent many scenes going from phone call to phone call, desperately trying to find an animal mistakenly sent across the country from where its owners were anxiously waiting. The senior cast members weren’t just portraying characters, but had their own hands-on experience when they went to New Orleans in January, where they met Maddock and worked with the animals at Animal Rescue New Orleans (ARNO).
Cast member Jared Emanuel said about the experience, “New Orleans is such an inspiring city. Everyone should go there; they need the help with their tourist industry.” He commented later, “Make sure you include how amazing the food is!” Working with the animals had a profound affect on these seniors. How could it not?
As cast member Jacqueline Lawler said, “When I went down to New Orleans I was not an animal person at all. But I left with adoption papers for a cat. Being there and really experiencing the effects of Katrina, it was so humbling. Before each show we would gather together and say ‘this one is for…’ one of the animals we fell in love with there. I am so blessed to have been a part of this.”
The play, and the experience that went along with it, forever changed the cast members as well as the audience. Although it wasn’t an easy experience, the cast focused on the positive. Emanuel said, “Working with the animals was so rewarding, and I loved working with all of my friends for the past four years on the project. It’s such an amazing way to end my college experience.”
