By Patti Roberts

What is once seen can never be unseen. That is the sage advice and warning a departing war correspondent gives to Mia, the young photographer taking her place.  

In “Unseen,” now playing at Capital Stage, we witness Mia’s trials and tribulations of covering wars, and the toll they’ve taken on her psyche and her relationships.  

“Unseen” also explores how the photos of combat and destruction affect the people whose lives and deaths are on display, as well as what our responsibility is to view the truth about the brutality of war. 

We’re introduced to Mia (Brittni Barger) as she’s being cared for in the Istanbul apartment of her “on-again, off-again” Turkish girlfriend Derya (Rasha Zamamiri). Mia doesn’t remember the battle she was covering that left her unconscious, and her amnesia makes her anxious and frustrated.  

Mia’s mother, Jane (Jamie Jones), arrives to help with Mia’s recovery and brings her sweet, well-meaning California wokeness. She also witnesses the tense relationship between Mia and Derya and tries to support both.  

The timeline jumps back and forth from the current day and the various conflicts Mia has covered, including her interactions with those she captures on film. Her wartime photography includes combat, death and the destruction of Gaza and Syria. 

There is a starkness and darkness in “Unseen” — witnessed in playwright Mona Mansour’s script, the cast’s portrayal of the characters, and Benjamin T. Ismail’s watchful direction. A splattering of humor does lighten the load.   

Barger bears the responsibility of portraying Mia’s complexity, frustration and anger, and she successfully delivers the portrayal of a flawed and damaged soul. She’s supported by the talents of Zamamiri and Jones, who also portray various minor characters. The only thing that is missing is the backstory on how Mia and Derya’s relationship grew and splintered.  

Arabic music, mosaic-tiled floors, and Quran scriptures framed on the walls evoke a Middle Eastern ambiance. 

The staging is minimal, though powerful, with the added effects of war photographs beamed onto back walls and flashing lights emphasizing the war scenes and triggers Mia experiences. 

The play is an hour and 30 minutes, with no intermission. “Unseen” plays through June 4; Wednesday to Friday, 7 p.m., Saturday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. 2215 J St. Capital Stage.  

This story is part of the Solving Sacramento journalism collaborative. This story was funded by the City of Sacramento’s Arts and Creative Economy Journalism Grant to Solving Sacramento. Following our journalism code of ethics, the city had no editorial influence over this story. Our partners include California Groundbreakers, Capital Public Radio, Outword, Russian America Media, Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento News & Review, Sacramento Observer and Univision 19. Sign up for our “Sac Art Pulse” newsletter here.