‘Rig’ rings true on stage

The sinking of the Ocean Ranger oil rig 30 years ago today stirs angst in many linked to the tragedy for many different reasons, and a number of these perspectives are explored in Joan Sullivan’s stage adaptation of Mike Heffernan’s 2009 book, “Rig: An Oral History of the Ocean Ranger Disaster.”

The one-act, 54-minute play is a series of recollections, in typical oral tradition, from Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who are linked to the 1982 tragedy that tore 84 men from their families on a frigid February night.

Thirty-six voices played by 11 actors bring to life the lead-up, duration and aftermath of the disaster.

Mini-monologues (which are adapted from interviews Heffernan conducted with individuals linked to the accident) string together to capture a variety of perspectives.

Of particular note is Pamela Morgan, who plays a widow, a  senior staff co-ordinator with Mobil Oil Canada (the company which owned and operated the Ocean Ranger) and a mother whose

19-year-old son perished with the vessel.

Morgan’s vacant gaze as she recollects the last time she saw her husband through a frosted February glass window shows us that a part of her has been ripped from her, and that void will never be filled.

Her depiction of a staff member in a communications role depicts an operational fail from the company’s perspective. Mobil Oil did not have a plan for total disaster, and the national media had a feeding frenzy.

As a reaction, Mobil adopted transparency, and aimed to protect the victims’ families. Morgan’s character recalls when she had to read the names of the 84 victims on CBC, and smiled into the camera as a nervous reaction. She realized afterwards that the cameraman had lost a son. She states that her one regret in life was that smile.

And as she plays the part of a bitter and heartbroken mother who has lost a young son — the youngest staff member on the rig — she reveals a great disdain and resentment of the obnoxious, demeaning Americans whose constant arrogance is arguably a key cause of the ill-preparedness that led to so many fatalities.

She speaks of the painful court dates that followed, as the company tried to settle with families.

While there are many perspectives portrayed, common running themes include constant reminders of just how stingingly frigid the North Atlantic was in February and how the weather conditions enhanced the horror of the day.

Resentment towards Americans is another running thread. Many, if not all, individuals refer to the fact that the workers were never trained as mariners, were sent to the rigs wearing only jeans and T-shirts, and the rig ran 24 hours a day, seven days a week, despite horrendous weather and a lack of adequate safety equipment.

On Feb. 14, descriptions of men in lifeboats trying desperately to find enough rope and life jackets to reach the victims reveal that their hope of saving the men quickly turned to helplessness, defeat and emptiness.

The bleak staging helps colour Sullivan’s and Heffernan’s words, which bring the experiences to life.

Few other events in this province’s history stir such a collective emotional gutting as the Ocean Ranger disaster.

The Battle of Beaumont Hamel is another tragedy that stirs a similar feeling of unjust devastation and loss.

Despite political and societal injustice and organizational failures, the heart and soul of both of these events are the sanctity and fragility of family, and the crippling loss that anyone can relate to as we imagine the horror of someone close to us being torn away amidst the normal flow of life.

A premiere production of “Rig” was presented in Trinity as part of Rising Tide Theatre’s Seasons in The Bight 2010 and will be presented there again this summer as part of the ongoing development of the project.

Tickets for the Arts and Culture Centre production of “Rig” are $20, and $15 for students/seniors. The show begins at 8 p.m. today through to Saturday and at 6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Arts and Culture Centre’s box office at 729-3900 or online at artsandculturecentre.com.