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A Piece Of My Heart

A PIECE OF MY HEART by Shirley Lauro is a powerful, true drama of six women who went to Vietnam - five nurses and a country western singer booked to entertain the troops. The play portrays each young woman before, during, and after her tour in the war-torn jungle and ends as each leaves a personal token at The Wall in Washington, D.C. These women share their plans, hopes and dreams as they began their careers and the shock they faced in Vietnam. We learn how they coped with the unspeakable reality of their work, the effects of war on the soldiers they treated and their agonizing grief for those they couldnt help. We witness the difficulties each had returning home and the long journey to redefining themselves in a society that had no concept of the path they had traveled. This is an emotional retrospective but with a reassuring destination as each woman finds a way to bring closure to her war experience and discover her new self.

While the play takes place in the Vietnam era, the significant and long-lasting toll war takes on those involved remains constant. We were at many crossroads at that time in our country a controversial war with demonstrations on both sides, the civil rights movement, the war on poverty, assassinations of national leaders, political unrest both here and in Vietnam and an anti-establishment cultural phenomenon that influenced many of our youth. This context offers insight into the very personal tribulations of those who fight, support, treat the injured or mourn those lost in any war. The effect of these experiences must be faced and resolved in order to move on. How a nation can struggle to meet so many disparate demands is not a new issue either and may be no more evident than the Vietnam era in the U.S.

"There have been a number of plays dealing with Vietnam, but none with the direct, emotional impact of Ms. Lauro's work."-N.Y. Times

This production is rated PG-13.