NEXT UP...

One Man’s War by Sammy Dallas Bayes is the true docudrama about Sammy's best friend Doug, a Marine in the first battalion to land and fight in the Vietnam War. The play is a heartbreaking, patriotic, real-life story that follows how a troubled twenty year-old ended up doing several tours of Vietnam. Doug and some friends were arrested in the early 60's and given a choice of a six-year jail sentence or serving in the Marines and having their criminal record cleared. Thinking it would be "cool" to go shoot guns for Uncle Sam, Doug and his gang signed up... with the consequences changing the very fiber of who they were.

The script brought me to tears. My father and sister served in the military for many years; my father, after immigrating to this country, served as a doctor in the Air Force and my sister was a Gunner’s Mate on the USS Willamette during the Gulf War. The story hit home for me about how we treat our service men and women once they return from active duty. Regardless of what a nation may think of the morality of a war, there are real sons and daughters of our country risking their lives, with some making an ultimate sacrifice.

This 10-actor ensemble takes the audience from 1960’s New York City into the jungles of Vietnam and back again. It is a candid, visceral, physical play with extensive stage fighting and heartbreaking honesty and a universality that echoes today. The play was originally performed in the mid-2000’s, never published, has gone through some changes and is ready for its new premiere. I have spoken with Sammy Bayes and obtained the full rights for the next production.

The original production just used military crates and some minimal costume changes. I would adhere to this minimalist spirit but add a multimedia element. Vietnam is often referred to as the first televised war so the use of actual newsreel footage would allow for the juxtaposition of the soldiers’ experiences with what US audiences experienced in their living rooms. Also, because there are several news elements referenced in the play, the use of actual newsreel footage would transport the audience deeper into the 1960' and early 70's. Scrim panels on casters would provide a screen for projections as could be moved by the actors to represent different locales. The panels would then form the Vietnam Memorial for the final moment of the play. Sound design would also be integral in defining the era and setting. The cast is 10 men (20’s) of diverse ethnic backgrounds (Latino, African American, Asian and Caucasian). This intense drama would not only be theatrically exciting but emotionally cathartic as we hear and experience the horrors and honesty of the Vietnam War through the eyes of one of its survivors.