Documentary Oral History Play

Summary: Over 50 years ago, thousands of young American women went to Vietnam to serve their country during the war. Infinite Variety Productions interviewed five of these women; two military officers, three civilian employees, all volunteers. Hearing their poignant, horrific, funny and endearing memories, Ashley set out to tell the often unknown, but extremely timely story of the human side of war. Through a script created directly from the oral histories and an innovative set using five blocks evolving into bunkers, rooftops, military vehicles and more, join IVP as they journey through the lives of these women. 

Text: As part of a grant through Sarah Lawrence’s MA program, Ashley traveled to interview 5 American women who served in the Vietnam War as either military or civil servants. The script goes in and out of memories, showing who the women were in wartime, and how it shaped who they became later in life. 

Concept: The play used five wooden boxes to create the landscape of the Vietnam War: helicopters,  bunkers, hotels and more. The sound effects were made by the actors live, onstage. 

Selected Productions/Workshops (full production history HERE): 

• Workshopped production at Under St. Marks, NYC. December 2017.

• Premiered and sold out at the Off-Broadway 59E59 Theaters, NYC. July 2018. 

• The Edinburgh Theatre Festival, Scotland, UK. August 2018.

• The Borderlight Fringe Festival, Cleveland, OH. July 2019. 

• Women Overseas Service League, San Antonio, TX. October 2019.

• Radio play, currently playing on NPR. 2020.

• Zoom production for the NJ Vietnam Veterans Memorial. 2020. 

• OnStage Festival, Milan and Rome, Italy. November 2021.

• Theatre Travels, Sydney and Canberra, Australia. 2022.