By: Charity Meier | C&G Newspapers | Published May 20, 2026
WALLED LAKE — A local theater company will be honoring veterans this Memorial Day weekend with a theatrical presentation that highlights some of the challenges faced by veterans after they return from the service, and the suffering that some endure in terms of physical and mental health.
The Inspired Acting Company in Walled Lake will open its production of “Ugly Lies the Bone” on May 22. “Ugly Lies the Bone” is a contemporary play written by playwright Lindsey Ferrentino. It “explores the long-term impact of combat service, trauma, and recovery, through the story of a female soldier returning home from the war in Afghanistan. As a result of the burns she suffered and the trauma she was exposed to, she has post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain, and she goes on a long road to recovery.
“I felt like this show — it really felt human to me,” said Jeff Thomakos, producing artistic director. “We have people on our staff who are veterans who are suffering from PTSD, and I thought that this makes it a little less intangible and a little bit more real and connected for us to do that around Memorial Day.”
Makeup artist and costume designer Barbie Weisserman came out of retirement to assist with the production. She said that as a veteran of the U.S. Air National Guard, she has seen firsthand the impact that war has on people long after the battles are over.
“Whether having served in the military or not, PTSD is something that with almost any traumatic instance can be triggered by anything,” Weisserman said. “She is an extreme example in this particular situation. Our veterans and wounded warriors and anyone who comes back, whether they have been physically wounded or not, has an emotional healing to go through, or journey, and it changes you as a person.”
Weisserman said that while it changed the main character physically in the play, and the audience can see that through the extensive amount of special effects makeup, many people don’t realize or haven’t heard too much about how it changes people psychologically.
“So, even though her PTSD is visible to us, how many more do we not know have a reaction of PTSD, undergo trauma and nobody knows? It just changes who you are,” she said. “So, I think that it is very important with the military today, because of all the wars that have gone on in the world. It’s never talked about, the mental disability that comes along with it. It’s called PTSD or shellshock and it’s just swept under the rug as an overused cliche term.”
In the play, Weisserman said, the main character kicks into gear and goes right back into soldier mode after being burned, which she believes probably saved the character’s life.
“She’s hard. She’s a soldier. She’s a wonderfully messy person, and she feels very true,” Thomakos said.
Weisserman said she believes it is important to see this play, as it is not just a soldier going through it, but a female soldier, which gets into how women are critiqued heavily on their physical appearance, and the roles of women in society.
“It’s so much more than just PTSD, because it talks about she is still who she is in her eyes (despite her physical scars),” said Weisserman. “Her former boyfriend tells her, ‘Her eyes are exactly the same,’ so she is. So, that’s a really good piece to grab onto, that we all go through stuff. The military can go through things that are far more traumatic on a more regular basis … but that she can be ugly on the outside and beautiful on the inside, and I think this play also shows that reality can be ugly and our imagination can be beautiful.”
Thomakos said that what surprised him the most about the story is that despite the seriousness of the issue, it has its funny moments.
“The humor of it lives in the awkwardness of people trying to connect with each other and say the right thing and do the right thing, and it really makes the play more true and much more human,” Thomakos said.
He said that he hopes veterans who attend the show leave feeling seen and that those who are not veterans leave with a broader understanding and compassion for those with “wounds that are both seen and unseen.”
“I think a lot of times the way we honor our veterans tends to be symbolic, and this play really breaks it down to one human being and what comes after the homecoming,” Thomakos said.
“Ugly Lies the Bone” will run May 22 through June 7 at the Inspired Acting Company, 1124 E West Maple Road. General admission tickets cost $38, and those under 30 and over 65 will receive a $6 discount. To purchase tickets, go to inspiredacting.org or call (248) 963-9953.