“(‘A Piece of My Heart’) is a real moving piece that shows the cruelty of war.” –Jade Quinn, senior
Ken West play tackles tough subject
T he sounds of gunfire, explosions and high-pitched screams— does this sound like some horror movie? Nope. It all happens in the Kenmore West High School play, “A Piece of My Heart,” written by Shirley Lauro.
The play portrays six women who served in the Vietnam War and their lives after the war. The lead characters include Army nurses, an intelligence officer and a country rock singer.
“I want [young people] to remember about this war,” said Diana Greninger, the director of this year’s fall play.
“The play shows six different girls with one voice,” Greninger said.
It shows the reality of war and how it scars people for life—not just servicemen and women, but their families, too.
The original play has six females and one male playing the main roles. The girls play their lead roles, along with different parts such as nurses, doctors and army officers. The guy plays several different parts, like a father, a drafted hippie, a conscientious objector and a taxi driver. All of these parts, with the same face, could make it confusing. You might start to lose track of who’s who. Greninger believes that sticking to the original casting might cause the audience to lose track of the focus of the play.
Instead, she chose to cast the play with five males and 19 females. The enlarged cast enhances the play by adding more effect to the scenes and making this play more enjoyable. This casting of the play should prevent confusion and will help audience members understand the play better.
“I am very happy with the actors I have chosen. This is a very eclectic group to do this play,” said Greninger.
The stage is set up differently from other performances that the school has done. It has three platforms that are placed at various levels and are connected by stairs. In the past, Kenmore West has had other unique stage designs. For one play, a pool was built on the stage. The last spring play was performed in a real graveyard.
“[‘A Piece of My Heart’] is a real moving piece that shows the cruelty of war,” said Jade Quinn, a Kenmore West senior who plays Martha. Both of this character’s parents were in World War II, and she wants to be a Navy nurse and be like her parents.
“She really faces some horrible images that scar her forever,” Jade said. Her character suffers through the Tet Offensive, a massive and unexpected attack by the Northern Vietnamese, and she finds out that this war has changed her life forever. Not only that, but nursing, for her, will never be the same.
“It’s a very moving piece to be in. You get a real feeling of what these girls had to go through,” Jade said.
“Remember to bring tissues. You’ll need them,” said Kiera Medved, also a senior at Kenmore West. Kiera plays Officer Steele, an intelligence officer. Her character predicted Tet and could have saved thousands of soldiers’ lives, but because she was a woman, no one would listen to her. She is being pushed aside when she could be saving lives.
Being a woman during the Vietnam War was tough. The officers of war wouldn’t take a woman’s advice. They didn’t keep track of how many women served, but they kept track of how many of the enemy they killed or how many weapons they captured.
“It shows a part of this war that no history class teaches, but it did happen,” said Brittany Wysocki, a senior at Kenmore West. She plays Leanne, who is in medical school. After she wakes up a man from a coma with a shot of penicillin, she thinks she can be a nurse in the Army and help soldiers. She decides to enlist and become a Red Cross worker.
“Hopefully the audience will be very moved,” said Kiera. “This wasn’t just a war that affected men.”
When talking about the high school students who would be viewing this play, Jade said she hopes that they “enjoy it, listen, don’t blow it off—meaning is everything.”
“I want the audience to like this play because it shows a side of the war that no one cares to ask about,” said Brittany.
“I want the audience to walk away remembering these six girls. Not just these girls, but all of the ones who served,” Greninger said.
The play will be performed at 7:30 p. m. today, Friday and Saturday in Kenmore West High School, 33 Highland Parkway, Kenmore. Tickets are $6 for students and seniors and $7 for adults.
Aaron Maser is a sophomore at Kenmore West.
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