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Annie Sullivan was a woman of great patience.

Good thing, too, as her pupil, Helen Keller, a girl of great intelligence, was a deaf, dumb and blind child who was wild and very hard to handle.

Sullivan, her teacher, hung in there, giving Keller the tools to live a rich, full life.

Arizona Repertory Theater opened William Gibson’s “The Miracle Worker,” the tender, frustrating, and fascinating story of the two, on Wednesday.

And lucky us, University of Arizona student Richelle Meiss as Annie, and Orange Grove Middle School 8th grader Alexandra Cockrell as Keller embraced the two difficult roles and made us care deeply about both of them, believe them, and root for them.

Meiss’ spoke with a gentle Irish brogue and had just the right amount of sass for her character; Cockrell thrashed about, grunted, and struggled with an anger at not being able to communicate. It was often difficult to be exposed to her world in that way.

This play is fat with conflicts: North versus South, father and son, men and women, teacher and student, and director Stephanie Campbell did little to infuse the production with nuances that would underscore the conflicts, and perhaps bring more clarity to the struggles between the personalities.

And there’s one terrific scene between Keller and Sullivan, when teacher and student have a fierce battle of wills, that was underscored with music. The long scene cried out for nothing but silence filled with the sounds of that struggle. A powerful scene was diminished by the music.

Scott Reynolds, who generally gives a strong performance at Arizona Rep productions, spent much of his time yelling as Captain Keller, Helen’s father. The role called out for more shading.

Charlotte Bernhardt gave her southern lady an acquiescing charm as Mrs. Keller, but you longed for her to make a clearer transition to a woman who is willing to speak her mind. Still, it’s obvious Bernhardt, a junior at the UA, is a talent to watch.

And call this quibbling, but the doors on the set opened inward, making a small space even smaller to move around in. It was often awkward.

“The Miracle Worker” is a powerful and uplifting story. Even with the few flaws in this UA production, it is a play that is sure to move you.