War Letters.
At Couer D' Alene High School there is a thing called "The Senior Project." The Senior Project is basically a 11 page written essay on any subject matter, and a 30+ hour participation portion. For my participation portion I decided to write a play. My English teacher from last year was kind enough to hook me up with a wonderful book called "War Letters: By Andrew Caroll. Andrew Caroll is a New York Times Bestseller and basically big time author/editor. Well it turned out that he came to CDA High School to do a speech. I had written a play based upon his book War Letters. I was able to perform a portion of my play before a did his speech. It was really neat getting to see the author of the book, that I based the play on. The play (when finished) will be about 2 hours long. I am also using it for District Drama on Saturday. I took my favorite part and made it into its own separate little mini play. It is about 9 minutes long or so. I will be performing it with Caleb Duke, and Kellie Washko. So here it is:
War Letters
By Bryant Larsen
District Drama-2007-
Original Serious
Cast of Characters:
Journalist: Caleb Duke
Lucy Miser: Kellie Washko
Jonathan Miser: Bryant Larsen
Introduction:
In times of war, heroes are made. Heroes who fight for: Freedom, Liberty, Family, Love, and Honor. Heroes who also left home, left their families, to go into the unknown. They left with only one connection to their loved ones, a connection through pen and paper. We are _______ and this is War Letters!
(The Journalist stands left, he is writing on a notepad, his clothes seem unwashed, he is tired, and furiously trying to recall a moment in time)
JOURNALIST:
The role of Journalist is to observe and tell a story. A story that truly happened. A story that said Journalist witnessed. My name Martin Larsen, and am a Journalist. I have a story to tell, a story that represents the love and honor that all soldiers carry with them. The story of Jonathan and Lucy Miser, I am able to tell this story through what I have witnessed, and from the letters that were exchanged between them.
War is not a pleasant place, not pleasant at all. I have seen things that would make the hair on your neck stand straight up. I have seen some of the most cruel crimes in human history…and my job is to make a story of it. I go into these places with these soldiers, completely unarmed except for the pistol in my pocket. The soldiers don’t mind, they seem to like the attention. Yesterday morning, a group of six marines were hunkered down in a fox hole. Germans were coming fast. We had been split from the rest of the platoon, I was terrified. I felt like I was going to die. So I knelt down and began to pray. The soldiers continued fighting, trying to keep the Germans off long enough for the platoon to get us. One of the soldiers, Jonathan Miser, was shot. He fell to the ground next to me. He was bleeding from his chest. I quickly tried to cover the wound, but he shoved me off. He grabbed my arm and pulled me close and whispered in my ear, he asked if I could write a letter for him. I quickly rummaged through my pack and found my pen and pad. I sat close to Jonathan and he began to talk…the letter was for his wife, Lucy. This letter I was about to write, were this soldiers last words.
(Jonathan Miser and Lucy Miser are center. His head is hung low, as Lucy stands in front of him)
LUCY:
(holding back tears, as she reads a packet of papers, her face becomes blank, its hollow, Jonathan still stands with his head lowered, looking away from Jonathan Lucy finally breaks the silence)
...you leave tomorrow.
JOHNATHAN:
(raising his head slowly) For how long?
LUCY:
(reading)... until notice is given of the soldiers dismissal from battle.
JOHNATHAN:
(His breath is heavy, it lingers, the silence overpowering both, they try to contain their composure, trying to save their strength for that unwanted moment of farewell, the silence continues, Jonathan is the first to be overcome by his pain) Lucy...I can't....I Can't...(almost as if a plead, his voice unable to go on, weak and helpless)...Lucy...I wont make it back.
LUCY:
(still standing strong as her husband is broken at her feet, her composure strong. Doing what she knows she has to do. She lifts Jonathan up from the floor. His body shaking and weak. She lowers herself to the ground, she embraces him. As he gasps for air, she holds him tight. He holds her arm, his breathing becomes heavier and heavier, his pain more immense.) Jonathan, listen to me...(he can not control his body)...Jonathan breath with me...please. I cant let you do this to yourself. Find my breath...find it...find me...(she holds tighter, she puts her hand on his heart, and holds. She breathes as constant as she can, and slowly ever so slowly, his heart beat and breathe become one with Lucy. Their eyes closed. Once again the silence fills the room, their heart beats and breathing as one. silence.)...you will come home John, you will come home to me, you will come home, I promise you, that you WILL come home to me, and you need to promise me that you will never leave me here alone John. Can you promise me this.( their eyes still closed, Jonathan opens his eyes, he looks weak almost ill. He reaches a hand up to touch Lucy's cheek, at his touch she draws in air.)...can you promise me this Jonathan?
JOHNATHAN:
(his voice soft, but audible)...I promise you.
LUCY:
(she begins soft and weak, and as she speaks it grows and grows, and at the words she speaks, Jonathan begins to gain his strength, the strength given to him through love and devotion, the love from his wife) John you will come back to me, you will come back, no matter what happens to you…and come back...with your head held high... with honor and pride in your heart.. with love and courage pouring from you soul.(Jonathan responds) You will come back to me with victory and glory. YOU WILL COME BACK TO ME A HERO.(dropping in volume) A man that has defied and conquered the most evil of men…the man I married. Do you understand me?
JOHNATHAN:
(you can see the blood flow back into his body as he rises, he does so slowly, pride and courage pour from his eyes. When he reaches his full stance, he reaches down to his wife. He brings her up, just as she has done for him. They meet eye to eye) I promise you Lucy, that I will come home, I WILL come home to you. I will never leave you alone in this world...(softly)I will come home to you.
JOURNALIST:
Jonathan and Lucy exchanged numerous letters in the time that he was gone. Jonathan’s letters were always short, and full of love.
JONATHAN:
My Dearest Darling,
I like to sit up these nights and watch the white clouds and dark shadows move in the night. That's when I miss you the most darling. On the nights that I sit up alone I can feel you very close to me. Sometimes I sit and talk and sometimes I pretend we are just sitting there with our arms about each other. Best I don't dwell on the subject just now cause I miss you so much right now it seems as though my heart is going to burst.-Pvt Jonathan Miser. To his wife , Lucy Miser.
JOURNALIST:
Only one month after Private Jonathan Miser departed from his home of Massachusetts, He was shot in the fox hole. Only a month into war. Although dead, he tried his best to come home to his Lucy. Lucy received her final Battlefront letter from Jonathan. The letter that I had written for him.
LUCY:
(she kneels, a folded American Flag in her hands, she is once again strong, her eyes looking out into nothing, her face hollow and bare. Silence. Her eyes close. A long breathe. Her eyes open, she sets the flag on her knees, she has a letter, she opens it, and reads)...to my Dearest Lucy, I promised you that I would come home to you. Although I’m not sure that I can keep my promise to you. War is not a place to make such promises...a man, a Journalist is writing this letter for me. I am so sad to tell you that I can not keep that promise I made you a month ago...I want you to know that I love you, and that I never have left you. Our worst fears have come true. But know this, I died with Honor, Courage, Hope, Pride, and most of all Love. I will be waiting for you. My only last request is that you make me a promise. You must promise me that you will come to me when you have lived a full life. That you will not live your life alone, and that you will have a Family. You must promise me that you will be happy...Am sorry for not being able to hold or kiss you anymore, but know I’m there, and as my final promise to you, I promise to watch over you, until I see you in the arms of god. With all my heart, love, and spirit. Private Jonathan Miser, Husband to the most amazing women to walk this earth.
JOURNALIST:
Lucy Miser lived out her life. She died a married mother of 9 at the age of 93. She kept her promise to her Soldier. She never forgot her husband, but she lived her life to their promise. During times of War, lives are ripped apart. These Soldiers go in battle for those who they love. They try to preserve what America stands for. They are truly Heroes. Soldiers are the rock of what has kept America free, Letters are the rock that kept these soldiers fighting. Without the letters from his Lucy, Jonathan Miser would have been terrified of death. Her letters were full of inspiration and love. Jonathan Miser was only 23 when he died. There is no telling of what is to come of all the other soldiers still fighting out there. Thousands are already gone, but their memory lives on in their letters. The Letters written half way around the world, those amazing correspondences known as War Letters.
War Letters
By Bryant Larsen
District Drama-2007-
Original Serious
Cast of Characters:
Journalist: Caleb Duke
Lucy Miser: Kellie Washko
Jonathan Miser: Bryant Larsen
Introduction:
In times of war, heroes are made. Heroes who fight for: Freedom, Liberty, Family, Love, and Honor. Heroes who also left home, left their families, to go into the unknown. They left with only one connection to their loved ones, a connection through pen and paper. We are _______ and this is War Letters!
(The Journalist stands left, he is writing on a notepad, his clothes seem unwashed, he is tired, and furiously trying to recall a moment in time)
JOURNALIST:
The role of Journalist is to observe and tell a story. A story that truly happened. A story that said Journalist witnessed. My name Martin Larsen, and am a Journalist. I have a story to tell, a story that represents the love and honor that all soldiers carry with them. The story of Jonathan and Lucy Miser, I am able to tell this story through what I have witnessed, and from the letters that were exchanged between them.
War is not a pleasant place, not pleasant at all. I have seen things that would make the hair on your neck stand straight up. I have seen some of the most cruel crimes in human history…and my job is to make a story of it. I go into these places with these soldiers, completely unarmed except for the pistol in my pocket. The soldiers don’t mind, they seem to like the attention. Yesterday morning, a group of six marines were hunkered down in a fox hole. Germans were coming fast. We had been split from the rest of the platoon, I was terrified. I felt like I was going to die. So I knelt down and began to pray. The soldiers continued fighting, trying to keep the Germans off long enough for the platoon to get us. One of the soldiers, Jonathan Miser, was shot. He fell to the ground next to me. He was bleeding from his chest. I quickly tried to cover the wound, but he shoved me off. He grabbed my arm and pulled me close and whispered in my ear, he asked if I could write a letter for him. I quickly rummaged through my pack and found my pen and pad. I sat close to Jonathan and he began to talk…the letter was for his wife, Lucy. This letter I was about to write, were this soldiers last words.
(Jonathan Miser and Lucy Miser are center. His head is hung low, as Lucy stands in front of him)
LUCY:
(holding back tears, as she reads a packet of papers, her face becomes blank, its hollow, Jonathan still stands with his head lowered, looking away from Jonathan Lucy finally breaks the silence)
...you leave tomorrow.
JOHNATHAN:
(raising his head slowly) For how long?
LUCY:
(reading)... until notice is given of the soldiers dismissal from battle.
JOHNATHAN:
(His breath is heavy, it lingers, the silence overpowering both, they try to contain their composure, trying to save their strength for that unwanted moment of farewell, the silence continues, Jonathan is the first to be overcome by his pain) Lucy...I can't....I Can't...(almost as if a plead, his voice unable to go on, weak and helpless)...Lucy...I wont make it back.
LUCY:
(still standing strong as her husband is broken at her feet, her composure strong. Doing what she knows she has to do. She lifts Jonathan up from the floor. His body shaking and weak. She lowers herself to the ground, she embraces him. As he gasps for air, she holds him tight. He holds her arm, his breathing becomes heavier and heavier, his pain more immense.) Jonathan, listen to me...(he can not control his body)...Jonathan breath with me...please. I cant let you do this to yourself. Find my breath...find it...find me...(she holds tighter, she puts her hand on his heart, and holds. She breathes as constant as she can, and slowly ever so slowly, his heart beat and breathe become one with Lucy. Their eyes closed. Once again the silence fills the room, their heart beats and breathing as one. silence.)...you will come home John, you will come home to me, you will come home, I promise you, that you WILL come home to me, and you need to promise me that you will never leave me here alone John. Can you promise me this.( their eyes still closed, Jonathan opens his eyes, he looks weak almost ill. He reaches a hand up to touch Lucy's cheek, at his touch she draws in air.)...can you promise me this Jonathan?
JOHNATHAN:
(his voice soft, but audible)...I promise you.
LUCY:
(she begins soft and weak, and as she speaks it grows and grows, and at the words she speaks, Jonathan begins to gain his strength, the strength given to him through love and devotion, the love from his wife) John you will come back to me, you will come back, no matter what happens to you…and come back...with your head held high... with honor and pride in your heart.. with love and courage pouring from you soul.(Jonathan responds) You will come back to me with victory and glory. YOU WILL COME BACK TO ME A HERO.(dropping in volume) A man that has defied and conquered the most evil of men…the man I married. Do you understand me?
JOHNATHAN:
(you can see the blood flow back into his body as he rises, he does so slowly, pride and courage pour from his eyes. When he reaches his full stance, he reaches down to his wife. He brings her up, just as she has done for him. They meet eye to eye) I promise you Lucy, that I will come home, I WILL come home to you. I will never leave you alone in this world...(softly)I will come home to you.
JOURNALIST:
Jonathan and Lucy exchanged numerous letters in the time that he was gone. Jonathan’s letters were always short, and full of love.
JONATHAN:
My Dearest Darling,
I like to sit up these nights and watch the white clouds and dark shadows move in the night. That's when I miss you the most darling. On the nights that I sit up alone I can feel you very close to me. Sometimes I sit and talk and sometimes I pretend we are just sitting there with our arms about each other. Best I don't dwell on the subject just now cause I miss you so much right now it seems as though my heart is going to burst.-Pvt Jonathan Miser. To his wife , Lucy Miser.
JOURNALIST:
Only one month after Private Jonathan Miser departed from his home of Massachusetts, He was shot in the fox hole. Only a month into war. Although dead, he tried his best to come home to his Lucy. Lucy received her final Battlefront letter from Jonathan. The letter that I had written for him.
LUCY:
(she kneels, a folded American Flag in her hands, she is once again strong, her eyes looking out into nothing, her face hollow and bare. Silence. Her eyes close. A long breathe. Her eyes open, she sets the flag on her knees, she has a letter, she opens it, and reads)...to my Dearest Lucy, I promised you that I would come home to you. Although I’m not sure that I can keep my promise to you. War is not a place to make such promises...a man, a Journalist is writing this letter for me. I am so sad to tell you that I can not keep that promise I made you a month ago...I want you to know that I love you, and that I never have left you. Our worst fears have come true. But know this, I died with Honor, Courage, Hope, Pride, and most of all Love. I will be waiting for you. My only last request is that you make me a promise. You must promise me that you will come to me when you have lived a full life. That you will not live your life alone, and that you will have a Family. You must promise me that you will be happy...Am sorry for not being able to hold or kiss you anymore, but know I’m there, and as my final promise to you, I promise to watch over you, until I see you in the arms of god. With all my heart, love, and spirit. Private Jonathan Miser, Husband to the most amazing women to walk this earth.
JOURNALIST:
Lucy Miser lived out her life. She died a married mother of 9 at the age of 93. She kept her promise to her Soldier. She never forgot her husband, but she lived her life to their promise. During times of War, lives are ripped apart. These Soldiers go in battle for those who they love. They try to preserve what America stands for. They are truly Heroes. Soldiers are the rock of what has kept America free, Letters are the rock that kept these soldiers fighting. Without the letters from his Lucy, Jonathan Miser would have been terrified of death. Her letters were full of inspiration and love. Jonathan Miser was only 23 when he died. There is no telling of what is to come of all the other soldiers still fighting out there. Thousands are already gone, but their memory lives on in their letters. The Letters written half way around the world, those amazing correspondences known as War Letters.
posted by Boo at 10:32 AM
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