Play to be staged at CLC focuses on women in Vietnam War
A social-activist theater company out of Barrett will stage its take on women in the Vietnam War for an area audience at Central Lakes College next week.
Playing on Purpose Productions, which bills itself as "semi-professional, issue-oriented theater business," will bring "A Piece of My Heart" to CLC's John Dryden Theatre on Monday, with performances at 2 and 7 p.m.
Written by Shirley Lauro, the one-act play "portrays the before, during and after experiences of six distinctly different women who are thrown together in the emotional cauldron of Vietnam," according to the troupe's press materials.
Who: Playing on Purpose Productions
What: "A Piece of My Heart"
Where: Central Lakes College's John Dryden Theatre
When: 2 and 7 p.m. Monday
Cost: $5 at 855-8082
The CLC Women's Studies Department organized the event as part of its Women's History Month celebration. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased by calling the department at 855-8082.
An art exhibit featuring photos and biographical sketches of several female veterans of the decade-long war in Southeast Asia will be on display in the hallways beyond the Dryden's stage doors, according to a department spokeswoman.
"It is expected this unique educational experience will greatly broaden students' knowledge and respect for women's military experiences and contributions," the spokeswoman said.
Founded by Kathy and Tim Ray of Barrett, Playing on Purposes Productions "specializes in creating and performing theatrical works ... that explore contemporary social issues," the troupe's news release said.
The company's original plays address issues such as domestic abuse, HIV/AIDS education, conflict resolution, child abuse and several other popular concerns, according to the release.
It added Lauro's Vietnam dramatization to its performance repertoire in March 1998, to commemorate Women's History Month, the release said.
Tim Ray, the troupe's playwright and artistic-technical director, directed a community theater production of "A Piece of My Heart" in a one-act play festival sponsored by the Minnesota Association of Community Theaters. The performance won an award for "outstanding ensemble," the troupe's release said.
Playing on Purpose also received an award for "social issue theater" from the State Arts Board, the release said.