DINNER THEATER TO FOCUS ON FLOOD

Dr. Sharon Bebout was so moved by the selfless compassion and inner strength demonstrated by families and communities during the flood of 1993 that she wrote a play about it.

The culmination of Bebout's one-year project is "Heads Above Water, Heartblood in the Sand." The play can be seen at Port Cape Girardeau's River City Yacht Club Thursday through Saturday during a dinner theater. Doors will open at 6 p.m, a buffet will be served from 6-7:30 p.m., and the play will begin at 8 p.m.

Bebout, an assistant professor of speech communication and theater at Southeast Missouri State University, said she first considered writing a play about the flood after conducting interviews with people whose lives were torn asunder by the natural disaster.

"I spent so much time helping friends sandbag and listening to how this was affecting their lives, I decided to go back and see how they were dealing with it," said Bebout.

Bebout said the interviews she conducted months after the cleanup had begun revealed a community that refused to give in to the negative aspects of such a disaster.

"There were people saying it's not over," said Bebout. Some were still trying to figure out what happened to change their lives forever. She saw how relationships were tested and strained to the breaking point. "The stress on families was just incredible. Some people were still having nightmares a year later," Bebout said.

Some of the most profound statements came from people who lost nearly all of their possessions save their spirit. "What the flood did to people left a strong impression on me," Bebout said. "I wanted to do something to provide an inside perspective, and this was my outlet."

The play has been tested as a pilot script during a performance festival near Conway, Ark. "The play was very well received during the festival," Bebout said. "There were people in Arkansas saying they would like to use the script for theaters in their communities."

Tickets for the dinner theater are $16.95. To make reservations call 334-0954.