War lore: Playwright's newest script examines first-person accounts of Normandy invasion
Posted on Friday, May 25, 2007
Arthur Herzberg is lucky his story is being told.
During World War II, the young soldier had one of the most dangerous jobs in the military. As a first scout, he charged ahead of his comrades, trying to draw fire so his fellow soldiers could locate the enemy. Of the 40 soldiers in Herzberg's division, 39 were killed or seriously injured.
When Herzberg shared his war stories with his son-in-law Bob Ford, Ford instantly knew they would make a great novel or play. An award-winning playwright, Ford naturally chose the latter.
Ford is wrapping up the writing process on "My Father's War," a play that explores not only Herzberg's exploits in the war but also the ironies of World War II service such as anti-Semitism among American troops.
Almost complete, the script will undergo a staged reading for the public on Sunday at Nadine Baum Studios in Fayetteville.
Work started on the script last fall after Ford earned a grant from the Arkansas Arts Council. The grant mandates input from veterans' groups on the project, so Ford has contacted several service members to recount their stories, including some outside of World War II. The play is primarily an oral history of war, especially of the Normandy invasion, with some events dramatized for the stage. The accounts are mostly real, Ford said, and although the play doesn't contain violence, it does have what he calls "the language of the foxhole" and is therefore recommended for ages 13 and older.
Five actors play 40 characters, most of them young boys pulled from the streets of Chicago or the corn fields of Iowa and thrust into gun battles in foreign countries.
The play is a work in progress, Ford said, and the reading is part of the process of honing the script. For the past week, actors have been meeting for workshop sessions to help Ford gauge how the script and language flow.
"It's so hard to imagine it, until it's in the mouths of the actors," he said.
After a series of rewrites, the script will be performed Sunday with Herzberg's daughter and University of Arkansas drama professor Amy Herzberg in the lead role. The younger Herzberg will play the role of her father. It's a natural pairing, Ford said, as the father and daughter share a sense of humor and outlook on life. Other roles will be played by Rebecca Harris, a professional actress who previously appeared in TheatreSquared's production of "Bad Dates," and three of Amy Herzberg's students.
Veterans' groups are encouraged to attend the reading to provide additional feedback.
"It honors and respects and reminds us of what these guys did for us," Ford said.
Using the comments from Sunday's reading, Ford will further revise the script. After a yet-to-be-scheduled reading of the play in New York City and perhaps another in Fayetteville, TheatreSquared is scheduled to debut the play in May 2008.
* * *
STAGED READING OF 'MY FATHER'S WAR'
When: 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: Nadine Baum Studios, 505 W. Spring St., Fayetteville
Admission: $5 at the door, free for veterans and their immediate family members
* The play is recommended for ages 13 and older.
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