The Warrior: An Inside Look at the Iraq War

By Broadside Style Editor Emily Sharrer

The Warrior, a play written by popular playwright Jack Gilhooley, takes an intimate look at a part of war that is rarely discussed: the aftermath. This Saturday at 8 p.m., George Mason University’s Theater of the First Amendment will put on the play for one night only for students, faculty and area residents in TheaterSpace. The play features Marietta Hedges as Tammy, an Iraq War veteran returning from her second tour of duty with a severe case of post traumatic stress disorder. Throughout The Warrior, Tammy deals with the possibility of losing her daughter in a custody battle as well as the hardship of a broken marriage.
Tammy’s struggles are chronicled in a documentary made by her friend Giselle, played by Mary Lechter, who provides voiceovers for the predominantly one-woman show.

“We found it to be a very compelling play in that is was a one-woman show that very frankly talked about a topical issue that I didn’t feel people were talking about enough,” said Director Kevin Murray. “There are women veterans returning from the war in Iraq who are suffering from a lot of symptom syndromes ... I felt like this play needed a forum.”

In September 2006, The Warrior was featured at Culture Project in New York City during the anti-war Impact Festival. The play was then chosen from 500 entries and went on to Florida’s BacklotArts and Theater of the First Amendment as a winner in its First Light Festival.
In 2007, the play was also put on in Baltimore for the Alternative Roots Festival and now, direct from its successful tenure at the Capital Fringe and New York International Fringe Festivals, the play will come to Mason.

“I think it’s safe to say it’s not a very favorable depiction of George Bush’s policies,” said Murray, who is also the Managing Director for the Theater of the First Amendment. “It has an anti-war sentiment about it, but [Tammy] makes it clear very early on in the play she will not diss the troops…It’s interesting that [the play] has all these different facets.”

The Actors Theatre of Louisville and the Corporation have commissioned Gilhooley for Public Broadcasting as well as having his plays developed by the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Aspen Playwrights Festival and Sundance Playwrights Lab among others. Including having numerous published works, ExIsles, Gilhooley’s latest play, opened in January in Ireland.

“This man knows about this type of stuff, but for him to write from a woman’s perspective about the battle scars that are invisible it was very poignant and very telling,” said Murray.

Following the 70-minute performance, patrons are invited to a panel discussion led by Hedges, Professor Carlos Sluzki from the Institute for Conflict and Resolution and Iraq War veterans Amy Baxter and Adam Charles Kokesh. The post-performance panel discussion will be moderated by writer and activist David Swanson.

“It’s really a look at the various issues brought up by this play,” said Murray. “It’s not just a one trick pony of a play; it’s not war is bad, PSTD is worse; [Tammy] volunteered, she was very patriotic, signed up under the best intentions and got caught up in things beyond her control. It takes a lot of hard looks at a lot of issues.”

Tickets for the play are $15, though a limited number of free student tickets are available. To purchase tickets, or to receive a student ticket visit the Center for the Arts Box Office during regular hours, charge by phone at 888-945-2468 or visit www.tickets.com.