‘Iron’ Stars 2 of San Diego’s Finest Actresses

SAN DIEGO — The Roustabouts Theater Co often selects plays that are provocative, sometimes dark, but always riveting. The upcoming West Coast Premiere of Iron will surely be even more compelling as it stars two of San Diego’s finest actresses. Rosina Reynolds and Kate Rose Reynolds, an actual mother/daughter duet, will inhabit the roles of Fay and Josie, a mother who has been incarcerated for 15 years, and the daughter who has not seen her since her imprisonment.

Fay was convicted and given a life sentence for a brutal murder. Her daughter, raised by her grandmother, recalls nothing of the heinous slaying and has come to visit for answers. What ensues is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. This show, written by Rona Munro and directed by Jacole Kitchen, dissects several institutions and precarious constructs, a crumbling family, a broken criminal justice system, and the friction and glue that binds a mother to her daughter.

Rosina has acted and directed in virtually every area theater and in addition to holding the San Diego Critics Circle Award, is the founding artistic director of the Chequamegon Children’s Theatre. Kate Rose Reynolds, also an actor-director, has performed in many local theaters as well as the Bristol Valley Theatre in New York. Miss Reynolds is a founding member of the Loud Fridge Theatre Group.

Richard Trujillo, Artistic Director at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, has been seen in a wide variety of shows including Shakespeare’s Macbeth, A Comedy of Errors, Scrooge, and Sylvia. Trujillo is joined by Jada Alston Owens, who has performed at La Jolla Playhouse, Old Globe, and San Diego Rep. Owens earned her MFA at UC San Diego and has performed at the Old Globe and La Jolla Playhouse.

This play was first performed at the Traverse Theater in Edinburgh and went on to enjoy a successful run at The Royal Court in London. The gripping, intense psychological drama is sure to transfix theatergoers. To address questions and provide greater insights, some of the performances will be followed up with guest speakers, who will shed light on prison conditions and how the system may be changing. Ahmed Dents of the SD Rep will lead some of these enlightening discussions.

This show reveals the Roustabouts’ commitment to “bringing passion, excitement, and dedication to making great theatre and sharing it with the young and old residents of So. Cal and beyond.” The founding partners of this four-year-old company, Phil Johnson and Will Cooper, have brought us edgy, clever shows running the gamut from uproariously silly (For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls) to darkly somber (Margin of Error).