Beyond the Battlefront: Letters

If you’re looking for an excellent and challenging Reader’s Theatre script that chronicles the correspondence between the battlefront and home, Letters by Mrs. Evelyn Merritt is one you won’t want to miss. Super simple to stage, the characters in this play are from the civil war, WWI and WWII all the way up to the Iraq War. It is a thought provoking look at what people say to each other in times of strife.

For many wars, letters home were the only form of communication between soldiers and their loved ones.

Letters is thought-provoking and character-driven. It’s not hard to see Marie, Jim, Caleb, Sarah, Harriet and Robert reaching out with pen and paper.

Kristina Mercilliott and the talented student performers at VFW Auxiliary in Afton, New York had an emotional experience with their production that had an incredible impact on both students and their audience:

This was the first play I directed, I didn’t know what to expect. I wanted to honor our veterans and teach the kids along the way for the understanding on why we stand for the flag, why we have Veterans Day off, why it was important to remember these men and women. This play was perfect – it was more than what I expected and it brought up questions that I had to answer. It was a very emotional play for our audience, and we are looking forward to doing this one again one day! It brought kids and our local veterans together so they could share stories.

Amazing job, VFW Auxiliary!