Letters Home

War letters are, by their nature, emotional, heartfelt and honest. Letters Home, presented by Griffin Theatre Company features ten actors who dramatically bring to life the stories of the men and women who have served their country in Iraq and Afghanistan. Without politicizing, Letters Home gives audiences a powerful portrait of the experience in the ongoing war. These letters were written under the most difficult of circumstances; the disorientation of training, deployment, separation from family and loved ones, combat and the occupation duties in Afghanistan and Iraq. While the letters come from soldiers with diverse backgrounds, a common universal theme found in the writing is the belief that the person standing next to you is more important than you are. The work is inspired by the New York Times Op-Ed Article, The Things They Wrote, the subsequent HBO documentary, Last Letters Home, and additionally uses letters and correspondence from Frank Schaeffer’s books, Voices From the Front, Letters Home From America’s Military Family, Faith of Our Sons, and Keeping Faith. Colleen Porter, Director of Arts Education at PlayhouseSquare said "This play brings the words of the men and women who have served our country to life before our eyes. It is moving, thought provoking and true. This is how the live performing arts can inspire conversation and compassion. We are proud to bring this performance to Cleveland."Letters Home employs the use of images and video projected behind the actors as they perform the letters as dramatic monologues. The photos and video used in the production are taken directly from actual soldiers’ blogs and websites such as Myspace and Facebook. To enhance the theatrical experience of the play, all performances are followed by a post-show discussion.