Isn't it funny how often the patriotic notion that our troops are fighting overseas to defend our constitutional liberties, bumps up against attempts to stifle those freedoms at home? That's the ironic back-story to Voices in Conflict, a theatrical collage of first-person accounts of the war in Iraq by American soldiers, their families and Iraqi civilians.
Created by a high school theater class in Wilton, Conn., the show was cancelled by the school's principal on the grounds that it was too controversial and might not "provide a legitimate instructional experience." The story was picked up by the New York Times, which led to productions at two professional New York theaters.
It's being presented this week and next by New Century Theatre, with a multiracial cast of area high school and college students. Director Keith Langsdale insists the piece is not anti-war but pro-soldier, reflecting "the ground truth" that comes from the hearts of those most intimately involved. Admission is free for veterans, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the local chapter of Disabled American Veterans.
June 10-13, $5-10, Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre, Smith College, Green Street, Northampton, (413) 585-3220.
June 18-19, Amherst Regional Middle School, 170 Chestnut St., Amherst, (413) 253-0283, info at www.newcenturytheatre.org.
