"HEADS ABOVE WATER..." REFLECTS ON '93 FLOOD

The flood of 1993 was about loss, suffering, compassion and trial. It was also about the restoration of human spirit and varying degrees of courage.

Dr. Sharon Bebout found a way to tie all of these emotions together with a skillful narrator and a series of vignettes as author and director of the play titled "Heads Above Water, Heartblood In The Sand."

The play will take place at Port Cape Girardeau's River City Yacht Club at 8 p.m. tonight, Friday and Saturday. Doors open for the dinner theater at 6 p.m. A buffet will be served from 6-7:30 p.m. Tickets are $16.50.

The narrator sets the tone for the play by describing a community facing dire consequences from the capricious nature of the Mississippi River.

Some reflect on experiences from the flood of 1973. If they survived that scare, they reason, surely they could deal with this.

Said Julie, who is played by Jessica Wilson: "Our biggest concern over there was the seepwater 'cause the seepwater rises as the river rises, and we thought that was going to block us off. We never dreamed the (Miller City) levee would break. See, that levee was in perfect condition. There should have been no reason why it broke."

A scene in which workers are stacking sandbags reveals a collection of erstwhile strangers who have pulled together for a common cause. "Well, that's one thing this flood has done that's good, anyway," said one worker. "It reminds us about what's important. I just didn't believe we could all pull together like this, but, hey, we're doing it. What surprises me is how many people we've seen out here that I don't even know. How do they even find us?"

Despite stress and emotional upheaval from such a disaster, flood victims and volunteers find a way to use comic relief to ease tension. "There goes another one of those helicopters," one of the workers said. "Is that Army or Coast Guard? Wonder what they're doing."

Said another worker, "They're probably yelling out the window, `Evacuate, evacuate.' "

A reporter attempts to choreograph a sandbag scene for a more dramatic picture. "You know, you can take pictures if you want to, but don't tell us that we all need to get over here for the camera," said Greta, played by Subrina Robinson. "Isn't what's going on out here real enough for you?"

Frayed nerves and heightened tension elicit emotions and confrontations throughout the flood. Jim, who is played by Bob Clubbs, tells people at a bar he is tired of hearing about a flood that hasn't affected his life.

"I know it's bad, but it doesn't have anything to do with me, and frankly I'm a little bored with it all," Jim said. Darryl, played by Edjron Pearson, accuses Jim of having tunnel vision. "There's a whole, big world out there, man," Darryl said. "There's a lot of people and a lot of the problems that are created now is because people are not concerned, compassionate, respectful of each other."

Gayle, played by Anne Sturtevant, gives birth to a baby she names Mary River Scott. "It just seemed right to name our baby River," Gayle said. "Some of our friends wanted us to name her Flood, and I guess we thought about it. But that just seemed too negative."

Jerry offers an interesting comparison between the birth of a baby and the arrival of a flood. "It had a lot to do with the flood and with the flood being a historic event," Jerry said. "It is sort of a great natural event, the same as birth."

Although there were great losses and disrupted lives from the flood of 1993, those who returned appreciated what they once had. Said Debbie: "We take things for granted. Every day you go home from work, sit on your couch and watch TV, or you grab something out of the fridge. You sleep in your own bed and you don't realize how important those things are because they're with you every day of your life. And when those are robbed from you, you think, `Why can't I have what everybody else has? Why does it have to happen to me?'"

Bob, who is played by James Vaughn, has decided he will face the consequences of the flood and other natural disasters because he doesn't want to leave the place he calls home.

"I thought we were going to move," Bob said. "I thought we were going to leave this place and abandon this place, and there is nowhere else that I ever thought we'd be happy living. I'm not leaving here. This is home."