Away from The Blue (Warehouse Theatre)

Photo by Zachary Burrell Photography

Grounded By George Brant

Directed by Kyle Ware

Review by Kate Barry

Entire contents are copyright @2025 by Kate Barry. All rights reserved.

Vulnerable, direct, honest…these words merely describe Warehouse Theatre’s one person show Grounded. Directed by Kyle Ware and performed by Megan Massie, the play dives into one woman’s journey from ace fighter pilot to drone operator by way of motherhood. Through her story, the realities of modern warfare and the effects on modern day troops are unflinchingly explored.

George Brant’s 80 minute script is quite striking. The work consists of concise, present tense sentences, trimming away any excess. The audience is right there with our pilot, who never reveals her name. She experiences her love of flight, nerves of expected motherhood and the endless monotony of unmanned aircraft systems, or drone, operation.

Brant’s script draws attention to color through the pilot’s story. The freedom and excitement of sky and flight rely heavily on the color blue, providing a carefree tone. As the pilot progresses into motherhood, her daughter draws representation by the color pink with imagery of ponies and other toys. Colors like white and gray grow more prevalent as the pilot learns her duties of drone operation. She grows “white knuckle” at the hands of a dangerous mission while her reality begins to blur at the sake of a gray surveillance camera.

As the pilot, Megan Massie is the embodiment of confidence. She loves her job as a fighter pilot which makes her shift to operating unmanned aircraft systems all the more bittersweet. As the pilot’s new role wears on her, Massie does well to hold the audience attention despite the scripts slower pace and naturally less exciting moments. While her work might be dull, Massie remains captivating.

Massie’s pilot experiences a wide ranging emotional journey which moves the play forward. With an unexpected pregnancy, she resists self pity but rather carries emotional heaviness for what is to come, and what does this mean for her beloved career. As the pilot adjusts to a new job and position in life, Massie expresses the stresses and frustrations in her “can we pretend” rant within a therapist office. By the conclusion of the play, the pilot’s struggles to embrace her new life and complete a very important mission converge with very drastic consequences.

After the November 13^th performance, director Kyle Ware, Megan Massie and members of the Air Force, Army and The Department of Veteran Affairs presented a talk back session. Participants of Kentucky Shakespeare Veterans program were present as patrons as well. Topics such as accuracy of Grounded and arts and the military were discussed in detail.

 Notably, the shift to unmanned aircraft systems in modern armed forces was talked about as well. In modern times, troops are able to go to war and come home in twelve hour increments. This pattern of life and the struggle to compartmentalize experienced by the pilot in Grounded is a powerful snapshot of what modern day armed forces experience.

Grounded Warehouse Theatre Thursday, November 13th @ 7:30 pm Saturday, November 15th @ 2:00 pm Saturday, November 15th @ 7:30 pm Sunday, November 16th @ 2:00 pm The Thrust Theatre at UofL

2314 S Floyd Street

Louisville, KY 40292 https://www.tickettailor.com/events/groundedtheplaylouisville