‘Whittled Dolls’ Playwright Offers a Parable of Violence and Hope

In the first scene of “Whittled Dolls” at the Arts Council Center in Thousand Oaks, a housewife named Lacee (Suzanne McNabb) is cursed and degraded. Then she is force-fed and beaten until blood streams from her nose and mouth--all because her drunken husband Rick (Sergio Bertolli) insists that she fell asleep when she was supposed to stay awake.

Lacee takes the abuse throughout much of the play--she expects nothing more out of life. But first-time playwright (and director) Wes Deitrick says “Dolls” was written primarily to offer a message of hope.

“The play is more about taking control of your life,” he said, pointing out that Lacee eventually leaves her husband. “The theme is universal. It’s about the importance of everybody living the dreams they had for themselves when they were children.”

Deitrick is a case in point.

As a child growing up in Reseda, Deitrick, 33, originally hoped he would become an actor. He gave up that dream, though, because he stuttered. Instead, he became a computer systems analyst.

In 1985, hoping to improve his speech, Deitrick enrolled in an acting class at the Arts Council Center, which is run by the city of Thousand Oaks, the Conejo Recreation and Park District and the Arts Council of the Conejo Valley. At the time, McNabb was directing “Let’s Get a Divorce,” a play at the Arts Council Center and “was desperate for someone to fill a part in the play,” Deitrick recalled.

McNabb asked Deitrick to audition and, although he said he stuttered, she didn’t seem to care.

It was Deitrick’s first acting role--and he was hooked--but he does view his theater pursuits as a hobby, rather than a profession. “The odds are against the arts,” he said.

Deitrick began writing “Whittled Dolls” in July. By September, he was ready to put the play through a workshop process. “I told the actors to thrash it and they did,” he said with a laugh.

Deitrick chose to write about domestic violence because he believes that it is an issue that people want to ignore. “As a child, I remembered hearing household violence next door,” he said. “But I was told it was none of my business. It made me feel very uncomfortable.”

When Deitrick first began his research into domestic violence, he said he was surprised to discover its prevalence in the United States. According to the U.S. attorney general’s office, 50% of all American women will be victims of domestic abuse at least once in their lives.

Both the Southern California Coalition on Battered Women and Haven Hills, a San Fernando Valley-based agency that provides support services for abused women and children, report a marked increase in phone calls to their crisis hot lines in the past few years. Haven Hills handles 300 new calls each month, most of them from women in the Valley, Executive Director Judy Samuel said.

“That’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Samuel said. “A shelter is generally the last place an abused woman will turn. They’ve probably tried many other things--sought help from family, friends and their clergy--before they turn to us.”

During Deitrick’s research, he spoke to a number of women who had been victims of domestic abuse and others who remain in abusive relationships. Some of them were friends and acquaintances; others approached him with their tales when they learned about his interest in the topic.

“A certain percentage of these women felt like they deserved it,” he said. “Of course, no one deserves to be treated like that.”

In “Whittled Dolls,” Lacee becomes aware of her options and ceases to be a victim through the development of her self-esteem. Deitrick hopes that the play will encourage people to consider their alternatives.

“In the infinity of time, each of us is only given a fraction,” he said. “We need to ask ourselves, ‘Am I living the life I’ve always wanted to live?’ If we’ve not, it may be time for a change.”

“Whittled Dolls” will be presented at the Arts Council Center , 482 Greenmeadow Drive, Thousand Oaks, at 8 p.m. today and Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $7 at the door. For information, call (805) 499-4355.