EVANSTON – The 2nd Act Players’ world premiere of the two-act play, The Institute, Coming of Age during the Vietnam War, opens Friday, Oct. 21 at the 2nd Act Players’ new theater-home at Northminster Presbyterian Church, Evanston.
“This play looks back at the turbulent Vietnam era and decisions four high school boys must make about the war and what role they will play in it,” said John N. Frank, 2nd Act Players creative director. “Because of that, we’re using our play this year to start a broader discussion on veterans’ issues.”
The 2nd Act Players are reaching out to veterans’ groups to attend performances of The Institute, and to then stay for talk-backs with the author, cast and other veterans.
A short film that looks at the particular problems Native American veterans faced after returning from Vietnam will be shown at one Sunday performance, followed by a talk-back with the film maker as well, for example. The film, Way of the Warrior, is by Patty Loew, a professor in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin Madison, who is teaching at Northwestern this quarter.
“The country is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War this year, making it the ideal time for us to stage The Institute and to invite veterans to see it and share their thoughts and experiences,” says Frank. Veterans also will be able to buy discounted tickets to each of the show’s 12 performances which will be every Friday and Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon from Oct. 21 through Nov. 13.
The Institute follows four young men attending a Catholic military school on the edge of New York’s Greenwich Village during the height of the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1971.
While they begin their high school years as boys, they quickly grow into men as they become increasingly aware of the moral choices they will need to make about the war and how they will respond to it.
Unlike today, the 1960s were a time of mandatory military service in the United States. Every 18-year-old man had to register for the draft and could be called into the armed forces, meaning the possibility of going to Vietnam loomed large in the lives of high school boys as they approached graduation.
While the war overshadows their stories, The Institute is also about a very special place, and the people who made it special and guided its students to become more than they ever would have thought they could be. Traditions and virtue have meaning at The Institute and will shape the men whom these students become.
Details:
What: The Institute, a world premiere play looks at the moral choices and the bonding that four high school boys experience during the height of Vietnam.
When: Oct: 21-Nov. 13: Performances, Friday, Saturday evening shows start at 7:30; Sunday matinees start at 3:30
Where: The 2nd Act Players Theater at Northminster Church, 2515 Central Park Ave., Evanston
Directed By: Ryan Bruce
Written By: John N. Frank
Cost: $22. Tickets available at brownpapertickets.com
Submitted by 2nd Act Players