By Brenna Angel
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- –
Real veterans stories about boot camp, deployment to a war zone, and the transition back to civilian life were the inspiration for a new play debuting this week at the University of Kentucky.
"It's a documentary theatre project that's being put together by myself and the 12 students in the class," says Theatre professor Herman Farrell. "It's based on the transcripts and the stories that were told by student veterans who are here at the University of Kentucky."
Farrell says he wanted students in his Staging History class to create an authentic drama about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He even asked a UK student who served five years in the Navy to join the class.
"I had this idea that perhaps we should tell this story about the veterans who are here on campus. I had a hunch that there was a story to be told not only about their experiences in the wars but also their experiences making this transition."
The class worked with the UK Veterans Resource Center and the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History on the project.
"Bringing It Home: Voices of Student Veterans" will take the stage Wednesday and Thursday at 8 pm at the Buell Armory in Barker Hall. Admission to the play is free, but seating is limited.