Heirlooms is a window into growing up in a dysfunctional family

Photo by Gabe Brison and Dwane Fuhlhage

The first production of Bethany Vermillion’s Heirlooms premieres tonight at the Black Box in West Bottoms. Vermillion wrote the play during the pandemic and it was completely independently produced with local artists and actors.

The events of Heirlooms take place beginning in 1997, following the Wilde family over four Christmas Eves as they grapple with conflict, familial trauma, and substance abuse. The sole setting of the play is the Wilde’s family living room, with props being moved around and stockings being added or taken away between acts to show the passing of time.

Russell Wojtkiewicz portrays Dan, the patriarch of the family whom it’s clear from the beginning that everyone else tip-toes around with the way they interact with him and react to changes in his mood—even his wife, Mary (Sherrilyn Gerdel), who later on in the play describes herself as a “wall” between Dan and the children. Dan is nearly always seen holding a glass of whiskey, signaling to the audience what his vice is before the other members of the family actually say so. Wojtkiewicz is superb, convincingly playing the role of an alcoholic father with a short fuse to a tee.

The play opens with sisters Danielle (Emmy Panzica-Piontek)—who is named for her father and goes by Dani—and Meredith (Camryn Warner). Meredith is the youngest of the family and is still in high school and lives at home, while Dani has moved out and is married to Landen (Jacob Valle), who has been begrudgingly accepted by the family, though Dan clearly laments that Landen is more interested in baking than watching football.

Photo by Gabe Brison and Dwane Fuhlhage

Photo by Gabe Brison and Dwane Fuhlhage

The sisters are gossiping about their brother Mark (Jerry Mañan) and his girlfriend Cassidy (Kitty Corum) and whether he’s ever going to propose to her. From this exchange, it’s clear that the family isn’t a fan of Cassidy. When Mark does show up and the sisters are teasing him, he admits that he is afraid of taking his relationship with Cassidy to the next level—which is attributed to his view of relationships that he’s developed from watching their parents. 

Their brother David (Richard Bertoldie), who is sort of the delinquent of the family, makes a late appearance, with his sisters chastising him for showing up to family Christmas high. Dani references their “family history” and doesn’t give details, but this tells the audience that the family has struggled with addiction issues that may extend beyond alcoholism.

When Cassidy appears, she’s obviously trying too hard to impress the family and be accepted by them—something that Corum does an excellent job of conveying before it’s said. The first act culminates with Cassidy announcing that she’s accepted a job in LA, with Mark telling the family that he is going with her, which causes an uproar within the family.

Photo by Gabe Brison and Dwane Fuhlhage

The remainder of the play follows the characters in their own relationship troubles and their conflicts with each other, with a resolution that shows the characters coming to terms with their trauma and moving forward in a healthy way. The family dynamics portrayed in the play, with both Vermillion’s writing and the actors’ skills contributing, are exceedingly accurate to those in real life among families with an alcoholic and/or abusive parent and will hit close to home for anyone whose family falls under that umbrella. It’s only at the end that the play strays from this accuracy, given that a large majority of toxic families will never have a genuine conversation about their shared trauma.

However, the play sends an important message about breaking such cycles and ends the play on a high note after contending with heavy material throughout. It’s a must-see for both people who will relate to its content and those who won’t, to understand how and why trauma is often repeated throughout generations.

Heirlooms is at the Black Box every night at 7 p.m. through Saturday, Nov. 11, and tickets can be purchased here.