By Deanna Dement Myers

“The space between the words is where the ache lies.”

A charming young refugee, Nazrullah, brilliantly played by Shawn K. Jain, shows up at the home of retired University of Nebraska professor, Harold Banks (Ken Batlin). We soon learn that Nazrullah was a teacher at the same school in Afghanistan as Bank’s adopted daughter, Getee. At first, Harold mistrusts this young man, mistaking him for a repairman. It becomes clear they share a bond through their complicated relationships with Getee, played by Caitlin Nasema Cassidy, in her first role at the New Rep. Across language barriers, this cast of three weaves time and location to tell a fast-paced story of deep love, strong beliefs and unsettling betrayal. We jump from the present where both Harold and Naz learn to navigate their own relationship without the help of Getee, to the past where we learn the reasons why she felt compelled to visit the land of her birth.

Read more “Silence and Omission in the ‘Heartland’ – at New Rep”