One Year to Die

One Year to Die is a World War II-era stage play written by American playwright Charles LaBorde. It premiered at Matthews Playhouse in September 2024. Set in a small Louisiana town, the play follows two mothers—one white, one Black—as they await news of their sons serving overseas. The story is based on LaBorde's family history, including the service of his uncle aboard the USS Rowan.

Plot

Before the play formally begins, the audience is already observing two boys—one white, one Black—as they move around their respective homes, straightening up and idling about as if they have little to occupy their time.

Act 1

The LaBorde family—Oscar and Edwina, husband and wife—begin their morning in their Louisiana home, each with a cup of coffee. Outside on their porch, the white boy seen earlier in the preshow stands whittling with a pocketknife. In a separate Louisiana home, Ella, a Black woman, starts her day with a cup of tea, while the other boy—also introduced in the preshow—sits on her porch, tossing a baseball into his glove again and again as he watches her.

Oscar and Edwina talk over their morning routine, noting that their days have followed the same pattern for thirty years. Oscar spends his spare time building a stone wall while waiting for news of their sons serving in the war. A Navy officer arrives at the LaBordes' home and informs Edwina that her son Joe is missing in action. He explains that Joe's body has not been recovered and that he will remain listed as missing for a year and a day before being declared dead.

Edwina looks at the two blue stars in her kitchen window, which represent her sons serving in the military. She removes one of the stars and begins sewing a smaller gold star to replace it. In her separate home, Ella finishes her tea, puts on her coat, and leaves the house.

Ella knocks on the LaBordes' front door to offer Edwina her condolences and to share that she has also lost a son in the war. Edwina is offended that Ella approached the front door rather than the back, and assumes Ella is seeking work washing clothes. When Ella attempts to explain her actual reason for visiting, Edwina closes the door on her. Edwina later tells Oscar that Ella was an "old colored girl" who did not know her place.

Ella later returns to the LaBordes' front door and explains that her son, Lonnie, served on the same ship as Edwina's son, the USS Rowan. Edwina recognizes the connection and invites her inside, noting that the Rowan was struck by a torpedo from a German E-boat while carrying ammunition. Ella proposes that she and Edwina spend the year by honoring the boys—both Black and white—who died together. Aware of Edwina's award-winning quilting skills from the parish fair, Ella suggests they create a quilt in their memory.

Later, two women—Sarah and Nodie, friends of Edwina’s—arrive under the pretense of helping with the quilt. They tell Edwina they are upset that she has been allowing Ella to enter through the front door. Father Morton, Edwina’s priest, also visits her, while Ella receives a visit from her local Baptist minister. Both clergymen argue that the women’s association with one another is causing discontent in the community. Edwina and Ella remain firm in their positions, and the clergymen leave.

Oscar enters, slamming the back door behind him. He tells Edwina that he has been receiving increasing threats related to her work on the quilt with Ella. Outside, neighbors shout into the house and throw rocks, and Oscar yells back at them in French.

Act 2

Edwina and Ella continue sewing at the LaBorde home, reminiscing about their sons as the younger versions of the boys watch them from nearby. The atmosphere shifts as a voiceover begins, accompanied by sounds of commotion aboard the USS Rowan. Lonnie is heard being moved from his cook position into a combat role, and the situation escalates until an explosion is heard. The younger versions of Lonnie and Joe then exit.

Oscar tells Edwina that rocks continue to be thrown through their windows and that he plans to add them to the stone wall he is building in the backyard. Moments later, a brick is thrown through a window, [...] him. Edwina and Ella attend the funeral together and mourn his death.

Edwina visits Ella's house for the first time, bringing her sewing materials. The women talk about their lives, and Ella reflects on her time with Lonnie. She reveals that she has an unopened letter from him, explaining that she cannot read, and asks Edwina to read it aloud. Edwina does so, and the younger version of Lonnie briefly appears before exiting. Edwina then asks Ella to read aloud a letter she received from Joe, fearing its contents. As she does, the younger version of Joe briefly appears before exiting.

Shortly after Edwina leaves, Ella dies during the night. The Baptist minister and Father Morton visit Edwina to deliver the news, bringing her Ella's framed picture of Lonnie and her iced tea recipe as final gifts. They encourage Edwina to speak at Ella's funeral.

Sarah and Nodie visit Edwina after she's returned from Ella’s funeral and acknowledge how much Ella meant to her. They offer to help complete the quilt, and Edwina is satisfied with the finished work. The Navy officer then returns and informs Edwina that Joe has now been missing in action for a year and a day and is officially declared dead.

The news devastates Edwina, but she is interrupted by the arrival of her other son, Hav, who has returned home while awaiting restationing. Together they hang the completed quilt in the kitchen window, and the younger versions of Lonnie and Joe briefly appear again as the quilt rises above them.

Production history

In the author’s note, playwright Charles LaBorde writes that he conceived the idea for the play during an overnight flight to Rome. While researching his uncle Joe’s service aboard the USS Rowan, LaBorde discovered that his uncle’s death certificate was dated a year and a day after he had been listed as “missing in action.”

The play was first featured by Queen City News on August 1, 2024. On September 18, 2024, Charles LaBorde spoke about the show on the Movie Pope podcast. The play began previews on September 19, 2024, and officially opened on September 20, 2024 at Matthews Playhouse in Matthews, North Carolina.

The production was directed by Dennis Delamar. Set design was by Joshua Webb; costume design by Yvette Moten; and lighting design by Sean Ordway. On August 3, 2024, the full cast was announced. The company features Paula Baldwin as Edwina, Corlis Hayes as Ella, Henk Bouhuys as Oscar, Robin Canchola as Nodie, Barbara Mager as Sarah, Aaron Scott Brown as Young Lonnie, and Bennett Thurgood as Young Joe.

On October 4, 2024, the play was reviewed by Perry Tanenbaum in Art on My Sleeve. The play won Best New Play at BroadwayWorld, and Aaron Scott Brown as nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Play.

Principal cast and characters

• Edwina: Paula Baldwin
• Oscar: Henk Bouhuys
• Hav: Brian DeDora
• Young Joe: Bennett Thurgood
• Ella: Corlis Hayes
• Lonnie: Dionte Darko (voice)
• Young Lonnie: Aaron Scott Brown
• Naval Officer: Vic Sayegh
• Nodie: Robin Canchola
• Sarah: Barbara Dial Mager
• Father Morton: Steve Price
• Minister: Keith Logan
• Thom Tonetti (voice)
• Andrew Roberts (voice)
• Graham Williams (voice)

Awards and nominations

• BroadwayWorld (2024) — Best New Play (won), Best Supporting Actor in a Play (nominated)