Body of Work

A PLACE IN THE SKY PRESENTS GOOD ACTING BUT CROWDS A LOT INTO 2½ HOURS
(excerpt)
March 29, 2000, Celia Baker, The Salt Lake Tribune

Tobin Atkinson took a fledgling idea about female pilots in World War II and gave it wings. A Place in the Sky, the play he wrote about the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), can be seen in the Downstairs Theatre.

Six fictional WASPs and several supporting characters inhabit a story based on some real events. The intriguing history of the WASPs emerges through these characters and through sound clips and video projections of vintage photos.

In the cozy confines of the Downstairs Theatre, the characters might well be in a living room, and that's part of the production's charm. The stage area is well-used—even the pole in the middle that holds up the upper floors of the building gets incorporated into the staging. It's obvious this operation runs on a shoestring budget, but resources are not wasted and the emphasis is placed on the performances, not the frills.

The script has moments when the language fairly soars. Good acting is the norm. The photos of genuine WASPs, and the revealed facts about them, are fascinating.