GloucesterTimes.com, Gloucester, MA

Rick Doucette isn't a fisherman - he's director of the Cape Ann YMCA - but he played one on the stage of Gloucester High School, taking the role of Capt. Cosmo of the trawler Bella Figlia.

He was among more than a dozen local residents who performed in the debut of the musical "Souls of the Sea," which tells the story of Gloucester's fishing industry and drew about 2,000 people over four performances that ended Sunday.

The performances drew standing ovations from audiences watching their friends and neighbors take on roles divergent from their usual lives as mothers, fathers, postal carriers, musicians and more. A Catholic priest, the Rev. Ronald Gariboldi, also performed, playing the "soul" of local hero Howard Blackburn.

The cast will travel to New Bedford on Nov. 3 and 4 for performances in that important fishing port.

While none is a fisherman, many of the actors have close connections to the industry and all have been steeped in the rich heritage of the nation's oldest seaport.

"It's an amazing play, a celebration of the spirit of the fishing industry and the folks involved," said Doucette, a longtime actor with Nan Webber's Theater in the Pines in Rockport. "As a lifelong Gloucester resident, it gives me pause to reflect on our heritage, the bravery and the spirit of the Gloucester fishermen. I'm honored to be involved in furthering the story."

The play was directed by Webber, a member of Gloucester High's Class of 1949, a 22-year teacher at the school and founder of its theater department. Many of the cast are her former students and 25 percent of ticket proceeds benefit the high school theater department.

Like anyone who grew up in Gloucester, Webber said, she can relate to a show dedicated to the thousands of local fishermen lost at sea.

"My peers in school were sons and daughters of fishermen; I knew fishermen's widows," she said. "The script made me think of my grandfather, who used to take me down to the Fort, where he knew all the fishermen, as did my father. It had a ring of nostalgia."

And when she read the script, she said, she was attracted to the attention given to women, who are not usually portrayed in such a prominent way in works about Gloucester.

Cheryl Keating, a member of Rockport public schools' special education department, played the role of Fay, whose father was lost at sea.

A descendant of a Gloucester fishing family who owned the vessel Clinton, as well as Bertolino's Bakery, she said she was honored to be a part of the project.

"It's all about my family history," Keating said. "My family were fishermen and bakers."

In one scene, her character reconciles with the spirit of her father, for whom she waited on Christmas Day to open her presents when she was 8 years old, but who never returned.

In real life, Keating's father died when she was 10 and her grandfather, William H. Porper, was lost at sea when her mother, Carolyn Porper, was only 2 years old. Porper's name is among the thousands on the cenotaph at the Fishermen's Memorial off Gloucester Harbor.

"It was easy to act out that part," Keating said.

Although the play tackled the serious issues of fishing's dangers and the consequences of fishing regulations, it also had moments of humor.

Capt. Cosmo comments to his crew at one point: "Don't women realize that worrying is just another form of nagging?"

Exclamations of "Holy mackerel!" also prompted chuckles.

Members of the audience gave "Souls of the Sea" several thumbs up.

"Living next door to a fisherman, you really get to understand the life they live," said Diane Ambrose of Rockport. "I remember one night I got home from work at 10 p.m. and his truck was gone. It was snowing. While I was warm in my house, I thought of him outside. They work hard for a living."

Peter Van Ness described the show as a love triangle among the sea, fishermen and the women who care about them.

"It really captures the community spirit," said Rose Rash of Rockport.

"The ocean is in my blood," said Susan Barratt Souza, who grew up hearing stories about her grandfather's days at sea. She lost a friend aboard the Andrea Gail in 1991. "It's a tonic to me. This show is close to my heart,"

The actors, meanwhile, expressed their admiration for the fishermen, their families and the city that nourishes them.

"It's a tribute to all that we have this much history and personal triumph, in spite of the tragedy, in this one small town," Doucette said. "There is a sense of fellowship and responsibility for your fellow man. Spirit transcends all here."

Frank Tedesco, who wrote the script as well as the lyrics put to music by Allen Estes, said he was gratified by the warm reception.

"I always felt the story of Gloucester should be told, it's so rich," he said. "This is a spiritual play. We need that today because of the fear of sudden disaster, whether from terrorists or natural disasters.

"Gloucester has lived with this monster of the sea and the possibility of disaster every time someone goes out to sea," he said. "No one thinks of disaster when someone drives off to work. But you see that people here have learned to cope."