Opelika High Theatre Society will present a preview performance of So, Until- on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 6:30 p.m. at the Opelika Center for the Performing Arts at Opelika High School.
The play was written by Revel Gholston and the OHTS Advanced Class, drawn from the letters SFC Ray Penland wrote home from the Korean War.
In a note on the production, Gholston writes:
So, Until-: A Story of Love, Loss, and Remembrance
So, Until- was born from one family’s enduring love and determination to ensure that their husband and father, SFC Ray Penland, would never be forgotten. The Penlands lost Ray in the Korean War in December 1950, and his remains have never been returned home. Yet, through the letters he wrote to his wife, Sara Helen, and other family members before being killed in action, his voice, love, and legacy have endured.
More than twenty years ago, Steve Penland, Ray’s youngest son, and I first discussed the possibility of bringing this tragic yet beautiful story to the stage. When Steve reached out again a year and a half ago, now in possession of those treasured letters, I knew it was time to fulfill that vision.
Through the efforts of Opelika High Theatre Society, So, Until- brings to life a heroic and heartbreaking love story that reflects the sacrifices of countless military families, both past and present.
We hope this production honors the memory of SFC Ray Penland and all those who have served and sacrificed, reminding us that while lives may be lost, love and remembrance endure.
May they never be forgotten.
— Revel Gholston
Twenty years in the making
Gholston told ODN the idea goes back more than two decades. “Steve and I talked about it over 20 years ago, but until recently he didn’t have sole possession of the letters,” Gholston said. “Once he obtained those letters he reached out again about a year and a half ago, and I felt compelled to make this happen.”
Asked how students who know the Korean War only from history books have taken to the material, Gholston said the cast has connected with it in different ways. “The history nerds have obviously taken flight with the story,” Gholston said. “Other actors have fallen in love with the touching stories that they have heard from their grandparents or even parents and families that have dealt with the repercussions of the Korean War.”
The production is also headed into competition — though Gholston isn’t counting on anything yet. “Don’t jinx it — we have to qualify first,” Gholston said. So, Until- will compete in a District Round on Nov. 7; if it finishes in the top two of the six entries, it advances to the State Festival “in hopes of being recognized in some fashion.”
