The Roosevelt

Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation (RWSIR) is celebrating its 75th

anniversary this month and one of the key events of the celebration is

the production of an original play called "Letters to FDR,"

written, produced and directed by LaGrange College graduates and Fayetteville

residents Nylsa Dunbar and Carrie Akins.

The entire

process of writing the script, building the set, casting the show and

producing it has taken approximately one year and Dunbar, the show's director,

admits it has been an overwhelming experience. "Letters to FDR"

was the first play either Dunbar or Akins has written and both women have

had to wear several hats to get the show ready for opening night.

"We did

a lot of research about the 75-year history of the RWSIR and have highlighted

the monumental moments," said Dunbar. "We focused on stories

that patients and alumni could relate to and we interviewed a lot of people

to make the show both heartfelt and historically accurate."

The story begins

with three college freshmen who are assigned the task of cleaning out

and organizing the archives at the RWSIR. From there the story of the

Institute is told in flashbacks, beginning when FDR was there and the

foundation was built.

The two-act

production will encompass all the milestones of the FDR era, including

Roosevelt's first visit to Warm Springs, his decision to purchase the

property and turn it into a polio treatment facility; presidential birthday

balls, a precursor to the March of Dimes; and Roosevelt's death at the

Little White House April 12, 1945.

From there

the timeline of episodes switches to Jonas Salk and the Salk Vaccine in

the mid 1950s, presidential campaign appearances, the beginnings of vocational

rehabilitation, take over by the state of Georgia and finally, the advent

of international athletic competition in West Central Georgia with the

Roosevelt International Cup, just to name a few.

Dunbar and

Akins, along with their directing and stage managing duties respectively,

have also had to handle the roles of prop master, costume designer, lights

and sound. The set design was handled by another LaGrange College alum,

Mike Austin. The cast is made up of many people from in and around the

community of Warm Springs as well as Fayetteville resident Kathryn Aquino.

Though Dunbar

and Akins are both graduates of LaGrange College's drama program, their

experience with "Letters to FDR" seems like a postgraduate program

testing their skills. They both also have a lot of theater experience

that has helped the process along immensely. Dunbar performed in several

shows for the House Red Theater Company, formerly based out of the Fayetteville

Baci and toured twice with the Kaiser-Permanente Educational Theater,

while Akins was Assistant Stage Manager at the Paper Mill Theater in New

Hampshire and has studied theater in England. Dunbar would definitely

like to write another play and direct again sometime in the future but

for now the focus is on making it through opening night.

"I feel

very lucky that I was able to do this entire project with my best friend,"

said Dunbar. "That was the best part of the experience."

"Letters

to FDR" will be performed in the newly renovated, 400 seat Roosevelt

Hall Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, and Friday, Oct. 18. Phone

706-655-5668 or visit www.rooseveltrehab.org for more information.

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