The March of the Bonus Army

The March of the Bonus Army tells the true story of a group of 20,000 World War One Veterans who marched on Washington, DC in 1932. They were promised compensation payments for their wartime service wages and protested to accelerate these payments while suffering through the poverty of the Great Depression. Their grassroots lobbying efforts fell on deaf ears, as the legislation to pay them their “bonus” was defeated in the Senate. The US Army, under direction of General MacArthur, forcefully evicted the Bonus Army and burned their tent city to ground. The tragedy of the Bonus March was a major event in American History and helped create future veterans benefits, such as those found in the GI Bill.

The play originally premiered at Hofstra University’s Day of Dialogue event, held in conjunction with the university’s hosting of the 2012 US Presidential Debate. The production features live music of the time period as well as historical texts and events as the foundation for the script.