FIRST LADY ENCOURAGES HOLLYWOOD COMMUNITY TO FEATURE STORIES OF US SOLDIERS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

Dear Mrs. Ferrell...

At a recent fundraising event, First Lady Michelle Obama pressed the Hollywood creative community to embrace the stories of US servicemen and women. “I would urge you to do what you do best: Be creative. Be funny. Be powerful. Move us. Move America to think differently about these families and our men and women who serve so graciously." she told an audience of 500 on June 14th at the Writer’s Guild Theatre in Beverly Hills.

She might well have been talking about “Dear Mrs. Ferrell…”

This engaging and provacative piece makes its debut at the Hollywood Fringe Festival as a staged reading on June 25th at 7pm, at the Actor’s Circle Theatre. Set in Iraq in 2007, this taut stage play examines the impact of the war from a variety of perspectives; from a young Private suffering from PTSD following a combat related injury, to an Iraqi husband, desperate to find a way out of the country for his wife and unborn child. Through the personal experiences of these, and other well defined characters, the play delves deeply into the high costs of war, both physical and emotional.

“This piece was inspired by a conversation that I had with my then thirteen year old son.”, says writer and actor Jon Acosta. “During a casual talk regarding career choices, he told me that after graduating High School, he wanted to join the military.” While Acosta found his son’s interest surprising, he found the reason shocking. “When I asked him why he wanted to join, he said without hesitation, “For the adventure, and the excitement.” Acosta goes on to say , “It was heartbreaking. It became instantly clear to me that he had bought into a very romanticized, very glamorized view of what war is.”, and Private Chance Ferrell was born.

As he looked around at the influences that factored into his son’s sudden interest, he began to feel that we as a society, had become increasingly desensitized to war; where death tolls are cited without mention of the names of the fallen; where game consoles carry us onto the battlefield with high definition, ultra realistic graphics, and stirring soundtracks. “I knew that ultimately, the decision to join or not would be his and his alone. But as a father, I felt the need to point out that there was a very ugly side to consider.”

The stage directions would read : (Enter Sarah Pearson Libby).

Central to the plot is an award winning photo journalist who is embedded with Ferrell’s squad. Played by Noeleen Todaro, Libby has come to Iraq to document the daily life of the American soldier on active combat duty, and to provide the American public with an unflinching look at the horrors of war. “I’m drawn to death and misery, “ says Libby, “and I will not stop until people put down their magazines, close their history books, and pay attention.” When asked if she could relate to the character herself, Todaro responded, “I think that everyone can relate to this piece. Although set in a war zone, which is gut-wrenching in itself, there are a number of themes that are tragic and universal: the desire for a better life, the death of a loved one, the loss of innocence. And even more importantly, the struggle for one’s personal truth to be told, to be…understood. To be seen.”

This commitment to personal truth is reflected in combat medic Justin Truman, an officer who struggles with the morality of war. Feeling that the deaths of his fellow soldiers are diminished by sterilized official accounts, Truman has taken it upon himself to give a full accounting of the final moments of his fallen comrades. Speaking of the character that he himself plays, Acosta says “I’ve always been fascinated by people who find themselves in situations where their morals are in direct opposition to what is expected of them. Having never experienced combat, I can only imagine what it must be like to be thrust into a world where the normal rules no longer apply, and the lines defining morality are skewed to say the least.”

This lack of military experience meant that Acosta would have to rely on outside sources to maintain a sense of authenticity. He was fortunate enough to cast veteran actor Brad Blaisdell, himself a Vietnam vet, and relied on his input to provide context and subtlety to the military characters. Blaisdell plays Colonel Jack Heidel, a man with a fierce devotion to “his boys”. “Brad is so versatile.” says the first time playwright. “He can go from charming to threatening in the blink of an eye.”

When asked if he felt qualified to write a piece that revolves so heavily around the US military involvement in Iraq, Acosta responded "This play was not written from a military perspective, but a human one. As Truman says in the play, ""War is the ultimate human failure."" And while far too many “Mrs. Ferrell’s” mourn the loss of their uniformed sons and daughters, it’s important to note that this grief is not felt solely here in America. The loss of innocent Iraqi lives is staggering.”

This suffering is brought to light through the characters of Fida and A’mala Alsaleh, played by seasoned screen actor Michael Benyaer, and Tamara Dhia. A devout Muslim, Fida feels that his prayers have been answered when a man offers him and his pregnant wife safe passage out of the war torn country. A’mala is immediately suspicious, and cautions her husband not to trust this stranger. As his behavior becomes increasingly erratic and secretive, A’mala’s joy at the thought of becoming a mother quickly turns to fear, as she wonders what exactly he has gotten himself into.

That fear becomes a reality when a raid conducted on their home ends violently and tragically, due largely to the mental and emotional instability of the title character; Pvt. Chance Ferrell. Tyler Jones takes on this role that reflects what so many of today’s soldiers face. “It’s estimated that one in every eight returning soldiers suffer from varying degrees of PTSD.”, recounts Acosta. “With the stigma associated with mental and emotional distress, particularly within the military, many are afraid to come forward to seek help for fear of repercussions. Without proper care, the emotional wounds can be devastating, even life threatening.”

This unfortunate reality plays itself out when Ferrell, accidentally discharges his weapon during an altercation, killing the young Iraqi husband. Unable to cope with the intense emotional stress, or see a way out of the situation, he takes his own life. When confronted with a cover-up surrounding the ill fated raid, and Ferrell’s related suicide, Truman and Libby are forced to make a decision that will change their lives forever. “He’s broken.”, reflects Libby about Truman, “He will never be the same.”. “That,” responds Heidel, “is war.”

Rounding out the cast are John Ainsworth as the no nonsense Cpt. Micks, who leads the squad Libby is embedded with, and Scott Kradolfer, who provides moments of much needed levity as the joke telling Specialist AC Waverly.

A staged reading of “Dear Mrs. Ferrell…” will be held during the Hollywood Fringe Festival, on June 25th, 7pm at the Actor’s Circle Theatre. Tickets for this event are free. For more information and to reserve seats visit: http://hollywoodfringe.org/projects/539, or call (626)318-3565.