Nov. 15, 16: Soldiers’ letters come to life in powerful play

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PULLMAN, Wash. — The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will take center stage when the Griffin Theatre Company presents “Letters Home” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15 and 16, in Daggy Hall’s Jones Theatre at Washington State University. Both performances will be followed by discussion.

Without politicizing, the play powerfully portrays the soldier experience. The initial production was critically acclaimed and nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for Outstanding New Play.

Reserved seating costs $18 for adults, $14 for seniors (60+) and $9 for students and youth. Free admission for veterans and active duty military and family is sponsored by the WSU Office of Equity and Diversity and the CougParents Program.

Christian-Blackburn-&-Lynda-Shadrake-250The series of dramatic monologues, based on letters from troops, uses soldiers’ photos and videos as backdrop. Written under the most difficult circumstances, the diverse letters seem to unite around one theme – that the person standing beside you is more important than you are.

The production was inspired by the New York Times article “The Things They Wrote” and HBO documentary “Last Letters Home.” It also draws from Frank Schaeffer’s books “Voices from the Front,” “Letters Home from America’s Military Family,” “Faith of Our Sons” and “Keeping Faith.”

Tickets may be purchased in advance at TicketsWest outlets, including http://www.ticketswest.com, 800-325-7328 and the Beasley Coliseum box office, open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday. Additional fees apply to online and phone purchases.

Discounts are available to WSU Alumni Association members and groups of eight or more. Same-day tickets may be purchased at the Daggy Hall ticket office beginning two hours before the performance.

Learn more about the Griffin Theatre Company at http://griffintheatre.com. Learn more about WSU Performing Arts at http://performingarts.wsu.edu.

 

 

Contact:

Gail Siegel, WSU Performing Arts, 509-335-8522, gsiegel@wsu.edu