An American Soldier is not simply
a play, but a journey through the
American story, moments that resound with lasting meaning for
both audiences old enough to remember, and those young enough
to yearn for inspiration.
Taurel brought his one-man show
to Mile Square Theatre in Hoboken, NJ for performances September 9th-11th. New Jersey Stage
spoke with the actor about the
play.
I tell the story with a through
line and a message I am trying to
communicate and not chronologically. I play soldiers ranging from
Revolution, Civil War, World War I,
WWII, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. A father in the wake of his
soldier son’s suicide, a wife and
son dealing with the father’s absence while he is away at war, and
a grieving mother remembering
her son and his story of how he
died.
Tell me about The American Soldier. How do you take the audience through the lives of 14 different soldiers?
My show is based on actual
letters and accounts that I have
researched and collected from
veterans and their family members. The stories and letters
are collected as far back as the
American Revolution all the way
through our current conflicts in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
How did you come across the
letters?
I started creating this show about
eight years ago. I would go to the
NY Public Library and research
books that contained letters from
all of the different wars. You don’t
realize how much research there
is on war until you start doing the
research. It’s like trying to count all
the stars in space. Needless to say
the research was intense and immense.
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