‘A Shadow of Honor’ traces legacy of war

Sometimes a child inherits a parent’s dimpled chin or wacky sense of humor. Other times the legacy may be quite different.

Playwright Peter Coy said his new play, “A Shadow of Honor,’’ is “an examination of what the effects of war are on people who weren’t participants in war, but were children.’’

The production, which opens tonight at Hamner Theater and runs through June 1, will take a look at how families can hand down something more complex than a resemblance or a personality quirk.

“It’s the story of these people trying to live their lives in a normal way, but being confronted by the effects of war from generation to generation,’’ Coy said. “The stress of war is handed down.’’

Coy found inspiration in his study of a Nelson County killing from 1907. William G. Loving went on trial in June 1907 for the shotgun slaying of Theodore Estes, the son of the local sheriff. Loving, a respected judge, believed that his daughter had been assaulted during a Sunday drive with the young man — something the victim’s supporters said would have been completely out of character for him.

As Coy learned more about the complex case and the social climate of the time, he was struck by the ways in which generational memories of the Civil War, Reconstruction, postwar privation and plenty of stress shaped people who hadn’t been born in time to fight in the war. Deeply held views about honor, reputation and rights played a pivotal role. And Coy couldn’t help seeing parallels in more recent events, such as the easy-to-recognize, tough-to-define challenges navigated by the children of veterans of more recent wars.

Coy decided to focus not only on characters based on the principals in the Nelson County case — renamed the Ruffins here — but also on a present-day couple, Tyler and Kathy, moving into the Ruffin family’s former home. A century has passed, but the pain the 1907 families faced remains real and hasn’t vanished with time. Tyler, meanwhile, lives with a heavy family legacy of his own.

To Coy, the story couldn’t veer into melodrama, because each of the characters had many facets. Characters that might have seemed like villains on the surface had too many appealing human qualities and had to be considered in a more well-rounded light.

“As a playwright, you have to live every character so you know what’s motivating them,’’ Coy said. “You have to understand them.’’

Boomie Pedersen, Hamner Theater’s co-artistic director, is in the director’s chair.

Her cast includes Jonas Collins as William Ruffin, a character based on Loving. Rebecca Hudnall plays his wife, Caroline, and Holly Schumann plays their daughter, Grace. Jim Johnston portrays Aubrey Strode, a defense attorney.

Richard Averitt is Tyler McNeill, a young teacher who grew up in the shadow of his veteran father’s Vietnam War experiences. Rose Harper plays his wife, Kathy.

Coy presented a part of the play that dealt with the 1907 killing last year during the Wintergreen Summer Music Festival and said that descendants of both the defendant’s and victim’s families attended on different nights. He got positive feedback from both, he said.

“I tried to stick to the facts and explain the story as best I could,’’ Coy said. “There’s a lot here.’’

There is indeed. Coy wonders if a war is over when hostilities officially cease, or if it’s when the last veteran of that war dies. Perhaps it’s not over until everyone who knew that last veteran is gone, too. Theater offers a way to enter the conversation and ask questions of one’s own.

“To me, there’s an overlying question: When does a war end?’’ Coy said. “Does a war ever really end?’’

Audience members who’d like to discuss the play will want to mark their calendars for May 30.

After that evening’s performance, there will be a talk-back session with Coy and Pedersen.

Tickets are $10. For details or reservations, visit http://www.thehamnertheater.com or call 361-1999.