As the second semester comes to an end, Lake Ridge Theatre Department is also wrapping up the semester with one last show. Dear Ruth was set in the 1940s during World War 2. It will be performed on December 8, 9 and 10th at 7pm and then again on December 10th at 3pm.

The play starts with 24 year old Lieutenant William Seawright, (also known as Bill) showing up at the house of 22 year old Ruth Wilkins after corresponding with her through letters while away at war. He gets leave to go see Ruth after completing 25 dangerous missions. What he doesn’t know (but what the audience finds out in the beginning) is Ruth wasn’t the one writing the letters. Her younger sister, Miriam, was the one who wrote the letters and signed Ruth’s name to the letters, and with that the play takes an unexpected turn. Sophomore, Conner Robb, who starts as Bill gets to see this all unfold through the eyes of Bill.

“My character was a gunner in a B-26 and after receiving letters from a girl thought he was named Ruth, he fell in love with her. Then he decided he wanted to take on these missions so he could come home earlier then having to wait till the war ended. The overall play is kind of like a sitcom. There is a lot of funny moments and more intelligent jokes as well,” said Robb.

Dear Ruth falls under the genre of romance and comedy. However, Lake Ridge’s director, David Goza, made the choice of enhancing the play with a myriad of moments that make the audience laugh. With multiple twist and turns the play has the audience on the edge of their seats or laughing as loud as they can. As one of the stage managers of Dear Ruth, Jayde Owens, junior, has seen all the humorous moments yet she still laughs every time.

“I love watching this play and getting to be a part of it! It’s so fun to see the cast bring the characters alive and make us laugh all at the same time,” said Owens.

The most unique thing that makes this play stick out from all the rest is the fact that this is first play at Lake Ridge High School to be double casted. Instead of one set of actors performing the show there are two sets playing the same roles but alternating who performs which show. So, at Lake Ridge, the first cast will perform on Thursday night and the 7pm show on Saturday while the second cast will perform Friday night and the 3pm show on Saturday. This system provides a unique opportunity for the actors. Zada Jones, freshman, stars in the play as Ruth and finds it enjoyable to have someone else who is in the same position as her to bounce ideas off of.

“I love the cast in this show. It’s so easy to communicate with them and talk to them about character choices and what we can do for it and make it better. I’m also very comfortable with the people I’m acting with because everyone fits the character so perfectly,” said Jones.

With a unique flare to it Dear Ruth is a play to be enjoyed by all. Although the play is not extremely well known, most who watch it fall in love with the characters and the story.