The Rep’s Inside Scoop - Last Of The Boys


Show Synopsis

On a night in 1967 near the village of Dak To on South Vietnam’s central highlands, the lives of two young American soldiers were irrevocably changed.  For thirty years those two soldiers - Ben and Jeeter - have remained united by a war that divided the nation. 

Now, at a ramshackle trailer in a remote corner of California, they come together for one final hurrah joined by Jeeter’s new girlfriend and her whisky-drinking mother.  This is a night that raises ghosts from the past as it deepens. A fierce, funny, haunted play about a friendship that ends – and a war that does not.


The Rep’s Production

March 12-13, 18-20, 25-27, 2010


Cast

Jeff Ryan as Jeeter

Michael D. Johnson as Ben

Kelly Hain as Salyer

Diane Lyons as Lorraine

Quincy Ndekwe as The Young Soldier


Artistic Staff

Jeanne Skattum, Director

Cheryl Thorson, Assistant Director/Stage Manager

Paul Skattum, Set Design

Cara Edwards, Costumes

Benjamin Hain, Lighting Design

John Hessig, Sound Design



Production History

Last Of The Boys premiered on September 7, 2004 at the McCarter Theatre on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey.  The show ran through October 14 of that year. 


The premier run was directed by Emily Mann, artistic director of The McCarter who has earned multiple awards for her writing and directing work.  She has been active with both Broadway and regional productions, including at The Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis.


The original production starred Joseph Siravo, Tom Wopat, Jenny Bacon, Deborah Hedwall and Steven Boyer.



Vietnam War Timeline

Please click here for a timeline of the Vietnam War and key events surrounding the story of Last Of The Boys.



The Playwright

Steven Dietz is a native of Denver, Colorado who has written more than 35 stage plays, many of which are well known via their performances in regional theatres.  He began his professional career as director of new plays at The Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis in 1980.


Dietz was a finalist for the Steinberg New Play Award for Last Of The Boys and his dramatic works cover a spectrum from political dramas to children’s stories.  A recipient of numerous national and regional dramatist awards, he is also a noted author, known for his series of articles on development of new plays and new directors that originally appeared in American Theatre Magazine.


Dietz is a member of the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin teaching play writing and screen writing.  He was born in 1958.



Bibliography

www.mccarter.org

www.finearts.utexas.edu

www.wikipedia.org

www.vwam.com

www.history.army.mil



Return to home page

Judd Hirsch and Trish Hawkins

The McCarter Theatre

Playwright Steven Dietz