The Virginia War Memorial Foundation and Virginia Repertory Theatre to Co-Produce Four New One Act Plays Written by Veterans
This month, the Virginia War Memorial Foundation will present four one-act plays written by Virginia veterans, which will be professionally produced and performed with leadership from Virginia Repertory Theatre, under the program title, War in Pieces.
This co-production has grown out of the VWMF’s free veterans writing program, “The Mighty Pen Project,” which offers 12-week long classes throughout the year to encourage Virginia Veterans to commit to paper their memories and reflections.
Now in it’s tenth year, the MPP has helped veterans navigate their personal histories and form a living documentary of American military service. New York Times bestselling author David L. Robbins teaches the classes. He and renowned theater director Bruce Miller have partners to direct the show.
“When the opportunity came to collaborate with Virginia Rep, we jumped at it,” Robbins said. “I’m confident that having them as co-producers will take this new production of War in Pieces to new levels, elevating the voices of veterans in Virginia and nationwide.” Robbins added, “The veteran writers in the Mighty Pen classes have put some powerful stuff on the page, all based in their own experiences. Breathing life into these stories for the stage has yielded some powerful, memorable theater.”
The production is made possible by a generous grant from the Carpenter Foundation. It will be presented in the VMI Alumni Hall at the Virginia War Memorial, which seats 90 people for these performances. There will be 7 performances, each of which includes all 4 plays together.
This year’s plays include:
The God of Baghdad (by Philip Trezza) – A young Army medic, the first to respond to a car bombing in Baghdad, finds himself playing God, determining which victims may live and who cannot be saved.
Dress Code (by Joseph Maslanka) – Recently out of the Marine Corps, Joe returns to work in the family bar in Philadelphia. A couple of patrons push his buttons, and he has to figure out if he’s ready to be an ex-Marine.
Living on a Prayer (by Rev. Laura Bender) – A twenty-five year Navy/Marine chaplain answers the call for everyone in need, the wounded, the bereaved, the homesick and the frightened. But who does she talk to?
King Baby (by Daniel Barotti) – Crossing The Line is a time-honored seaman’s tradition whenever a vessel crosses the equator. But this time, a leviathan Chinese destroyer shadows a U.S. Navy ship, putting the celebration at risk of an international confrontation at sea.
Performance Schedule:
Friday, March 17th (7:00PM) – OPENING
Saturday, March 18th (7:00PM)
Sunday, March 19th (3:00PM)
Thursday, March 23rd (7:00PM)
Friday, March 24th (7:00PM)
Saturday, March 25th (7:00PM)
Sunday, March 26th (3:00PM) – CLOSING
