‘The Tin Woman’

WASILLA — The debut show of the 43rd season of Valley Performing Arts tells a story very personal to both the star and the director.

Tracy Jones, last seen by VPA fans in ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’ takes on a far quieter, but no less intense role in ‘The Tin Woman’ as Joy, an ailing young woman who gets a new heart from a donor, and with it, a new lease on life.

‘The Tin Woman’, based on a true story and written by Sean Grennan, is directed by Karl Kopperud. It’s Kopperud’s first time in the director’s chair, but he’s far from a newbie to the VPA stage. He’s been with the program almost since its onset, but never took on a role bigger than stage manager prior to reading the script for ‘The Tin Woman’ and pitching it directly to the VPA board for approval.

“My oldest daughter had a heart transplant, so in many ways she is the Tin Woman,” said Kopperud, whose daughter, now 33 and living in St. Louis was born with a heart defect and finally got her replacement heart eight years ago.

Kopperud said she was fortunate that her body did not reject the heart, but much like Joy, she’s had a difficult time adapting to carrying someone else’s. Unlike Joy, her letter offering to reach out to the family of the donor was never returned.

And that’s where the plot of ‘The Tin Woman’ takes off, as Joy, an artist in her 30s, who suffers from tremendous survivor’s guilt and stress at none being successful enough with her second lease on life, goes to visit the family of the donor.

Kopperud said patients who’d more or less resigned themselves to death, sometimes wind up resenting their new chance at life.

“It’s got to be a lot like how a person on death row must feel… I’ve heard death row inmates who say, ‘I’m ready to go, this is so much agony.’ I imagine someone pardoned would have a weight lifted, but on the other hand, there’s all this conflict,” Kopperud said. “(My daughter) is doing good health-wise — she still has some issues with having been the sick girl growing up and then having that removed it removed some of an identity with her.”

Jones, who moved to Utah after ‘Virginia Woolf’s’ run was only supposed to be back in Alaska for a short time when she happened upon the script.

“I was bawling even before I was finished with the first act,” Jones said. “I couldn’t say no.”

Jones saw much of herself in Joy, in part because of the character’s feelings of not having found enough success with her artistic talent, but also because of the protagonist’s health issues.

“I have been ill for the majority of my life. I didn’t think I’d make it to my 30s, but because I was able to change and heal my body, mind and spirit, I’m here,” she said. “It’s about finding that passion to live when you could just roll over and not.”

Jones said that where she was at in her personal life coincided perfectly with her starring role as the loud and vulgar Martha last fall in ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ and Joy better complements her mood these days.

“Joy is quieter, but deeper. I think this is past the anger — I’m not angry anymore,” Jones said. “I know what my purpose is, why I want to live. That’s what people need to ask themselves every day so they can live passionately.”

‘The Tin Woman’ opens tonight and runs each weekend through Oct. 1. At that point, Jones assures, her extended stay in Alaska will end and she will head out to her new home in Utah. But for the rest of September, she’ll gladly live every available moment as Joy, a character she not only relates to, but genuinely likes.

“Joy is kind of at that point where she’s ready to let go and be cool with that,” Jones said. “She gets the heart transplant… but she can’t really find that will to live so she decides she needs to meet the donor’s family. But they have issues. There’s a lot of emotion and everyone is dealing with things individually, especially the father vs. Joy. But everyone’s feelings — and the why (of those feelings) — comes out and they’re able to resolve that.”