Boots on the Ground To Launch New Production

By Michelle Trauring

Last Thursday morning, Bonnie Grice watched the first official snowfall from inside the warm WPPB studio in Southampton, a delicate white dusting as far as the eye could see.

It was only 8 a.m. and already “kind of a weird day,” she explained. With the recent loss of her mother, a part of Grice had died while her new project was being born — a dichotomy that pulls a person in two distinct directions.

“I’ve been surprised by grief, surprised at how it’s affected me,” the radio personality mused. “I wasn’t sure how I would feel. But there is a lot on my plate to keep me busy.”

Come spring, Grice’s new theater company, Boots on the Ground, will have mounted its debut production, “The Miracle Worker,” which tells the story of a young Helen Keller — an eventual activist and author who lost her hearing and sight when she became terribly sick at 19 months old — and her relationship with her teacher, Annie Sullivan.

“When I was just out of elementary school, I saw the film with Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke, and it affected me then,” Grice said. “In this time in our country, in our world, the story of Helen Keller transcends all of it. Her story is going to inspire so many, and I think our young people could use this story again. I think it’s time for her to be resurrected and brought back to life.”

Set during the late 1800s, the story of Helen Keller fits into Boots on the Ground Theater’s wheelhouse of Victorian- and Edwardian-era productions. Going forward, the company will heavily focus on this age — a time that has always inspired Grice, she said, not to mention the company’s name and logo — as well as acting and reenacting Long Island’s rich history.

“I liked the idea of the company being rooted — ‘booted,’ if you will — on the East End,” she said. “There’s something organic about having boots on the ground and digging in, you know? I want to do all kinds of theatrical experiences, in all kinds of locations, based in history as much as I can. It’s earthy and it’s right here, and it’s part of our lives.”

The community aligned with Grice’s mission, helping the theater company founder raise more than $8,500 in 22 days — exceeding the campaign’s goal and turning her lifelong dream into a reality.

“I’ve felt all along that this was going to happen. I don’t know why,” said Grice, whose love of theater harkens back to her childhood. “There were a couple times I said to my husband, Steve, ‘What the f--k am I doing? What am I doing? I don’t even know! What is driving this?’ There’s no answer. I just knew it was the right thing to do. It was meant to be. That’s what it feels like to me.”

With a cast now in place under the direction of Joan Lyons, the play will stage in April as a minimal, black box production at the Southampton Cultural Center.

“Miracles happen,” Grice said. “Somebody said to me just yesterday, ‘Have you seen any signs of your mom yet?’ And I said, ‘Huh. Wow. Not specifically, but I don’t know, maybe she helped make this happen.’ She’s the one who turned me onto the movie. So she gave me Helen, in a sense.”

Performance dates and times for William Gibson’s play, “The Miracle Worker,” will be announced next year, to stage at the Southampton Cultural Center, located at 25 Pond Lane in Southampton. For more information, please visit scc-arts.org.