Every member of the military has their own reasons for enlisting that are as diverse as the soldiers themselves.
In the play "Letters Home", the audience gets to learn a little about the people in uniform who have served or are serving on the war fronts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Letters Home" was inspired by the New York Times Op-Ed article "The Things They Wrote" and the subsequent HBO documentary "Last Letters Home". The Griffin Theater Company, Chicago, will present the play on the Warsaw Community High School Performing Arts Center stage Oct. 18.
In an interview Thursday afternoon, playwright Bill Massolia said the show started out with a pretty simple seed of an idea. He had watched the HBO documentary and two letters read in the film were "really beautiful pieces of writing." He wondered what it would be like to put the letters on stage in a theatrical piece, and if there were more letters that could be part of the show.
When he first started putting the show together, newspapers across the country were publishing soldiers' letters to honor them. Most of the letters talked about the soldiers' experiences, and it was very easy to compile them.
Massolia said he continues to update the play, but it's getting harder to find letters to and from soldiers because the United States has been fighting in Afghanistan for nine years and there's still troops in Iraq.
The play is not done in reader theatre style, Massolia said. Instead, it's done as dramatic monologues so each actor takes a letter or series of letters and presents them more dramatically. There's no props and each monologue is done very simply, he said. The actors take on the persona and character of the soldier or civilian whose letter they are bringing to life.
"I think the letters are so diverse and specifically written, there's so much of the personality of the soldier or Marine in them, (the actors) can pick up and go from that," Massolia said.
While some letters are more beautiful than others, he said there are many different topics addressed through the letters.
Ten actors take the stage for the play. Each actor plays one central service member where the audience can see a story arc through that service member's letters. Single letters also are used.
Of the 10 actors, three are women and seven are men. All the actors are Chicago based, but hail from different parts of the country. One of the current actors is a former Army sergeant who became an actor. There's a couple of Air Force "brats", including one that lived in Saudi Arabia until Westerners were evacuated at the start of the Iraq War.
One actor takes on the roles of four different mothers. One mother has a son who is diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Another mother has a son whose leg is amputated. Another mother deals with the loss of her son.
Some of the soldiers in the show include a specialist; an Iowa National Guard member whose letters mostly deal with him growing a crop of corn in the desert and feeding the 150 members of his unit with the corn; and then another soldier who goes to the Middle East only to see his best friend become the first American killed in the war.
"It runs the broad spectrum of experiences, which was the whole point," said Massolia.
If there is a theme to the show that unites the diverse voices, he said, it's the belief that the person standing next to you is more important than you are. That bond is prevalent throughout the show, he said.
"I think it's a very emotional play," Massolia said. "The good thing is it's not really a political piece, it's about the soldiers' experiences."
The production has been on tour since 2007. During the past three years, some of the soldiers who wrote the letters or their family members have seen the play. While others have chosen not to see it, it's been well received by those who did, Massolia said.
"We're in two ongoing wars, so I would say the show will live on the next couple of years. I'm interested in expanding it," he said.
Massolia has been approached by a group of Canadians about doing a show for the Coalition Forces. Canada is heavily involved in Afghanistan. About this tour run of "Letters Home", he said he will look at it.
"In how I pick the letters, I just look for really diverse voices and letters that have something significant to say and had something to say to me," he said.
Writing and being involved in the play has changed Massolia's perspective.
"It certainly has broadened my understanding of the diverseness of the military. It's not just one person from one background," he said.Some military members are well educated, and some are not. For many, it is a calling, he said. People may think the soldier is a 17-year-old who doesn't know what he wants to do with his life and so he enlisted, but while that aspect may be true for some, it's not for all. There are servicemen with undergraduate and graduate degrees.
"I feel like its a very diverse group of people right now," Massolia said. "When you see the show, people sometimes mistake it for being pro-war. I don't think it is, I think it's neither."
In the letters, there's a lot of nobility, which some people mistake for being pro-war. Society today tends to be more cynical and selfish, and people think nobility no longer exists. But nobility, he said, is a good attribute to have, whether a person is in the military or not.
After the Oct. 18 show, there will be a talk back. Actors will stand out on the show and Massolia will come out and introduce himself. He will explain how the show came to be, introduce the actors and ask if there are any questions.
"That's when people start raising their hands and asking questions. It's really more of a conversation between us and the audience," he said.
Sponsored by Warsaw Community High School and the Times-Union, tickets to the Oct. 18 show at 7 p.m. are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets may be purchased by calling the WCHS PAC box office at 574-371-5040. Master Card and Visa are accepted. No refunds or exchanges.
