Description

Set in Maine during World War II, The Color of Stars is a story of family, patriotism, fear and prejudice. Eleven-year-old Eddie Winthrop has been sent to live with his grandparents on the family farm. Eddie’s father is fighting in the Pacific. His mother works at a shipyard and is concerned that Eddie needs more adult supervision. Missing his parents and friends, Eddie struggles to adjust to life in a small town. His grandparents, Luke and Mable, live a simple life that has been disrupted by the war. They do their part for the war effort at home: organizing metal drives, adapting to mandated rationing and watching the skies for enemy planes. As with most families with a member in the war, a service banner with a blue star hangs in the Winthrops’ window for their son. Mable dreads the possibility that she will have to change the color of the star to gold. Mable’s sister Isabel and her husband, Alfred, are the Winthrops’ neighbors. The two couples are very close, although the stresses of life during war cause some friction. When a stranger, Felix Stetler, arrives in town to survey the local woods for trees to use in building Navy minesweepers, events are set in motion that will challenge the ties of family and friendship and question the definitions of patriotism and civic duty. Eddie finds himself in the middle of it all and is faced with some difficult moral and ethical dilemmas. The Color of Stars resonates with current events e The play’s exploration of fear and prejudice in a time of war e should spark meaningful discussion between parents and kids. (The Arizona Republic) Emotional and vibrant drama. (Phoenix New Times) Unit set. Approximate running time: 75 minutes.