7 March, 2014
Hopkinton High School’s drama students on March 13 to 15 will present “A Piece of My Heart,” Shirley Lauro’s emotionally charged play depicting the experiences of nurses serving in Vietnam.
The play, which the Vietnam Vets Association calls “the most enduring play on Vietnam in the nation,” portrays the young nurses before, during, and after their tour and ends as each leaves a personal token at the Vietnam memorial wall in Washington. It was adapted from Keith Walker’s 1986 book of the same name, which included oral histories from 26 women who served in Vietnam.
To help the nine student actors prepare for their roles, director Valerie von Rosenvinge invited former Army nurse Maureen Adduci, who served in Vietnam, to speak with them. Adduci’s candor helped the students understand the impact of that long-ago conflict on those who fought it. “All of the students recognized that this is more than a school play…it is an opportunity to recognize the sacrifices that a group of women made long ago,” von Rosenvinge said.
Performances of “A Piece of My Heart” are 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, 7 p.m. on Friday, March 14, and Saturday, March 15 at the Hopkinton High School auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students, seniors, and veterans and $10 for adults. Please note the play contains harsh language and references to the atrocities of war.
Depicting the horrors of the Vietnam War in the Hopkinton High School play, “A Piece of My Heart,” are Brent Leibowitz (on stretcher); Ashley Olafsen and Cassandra Clark (kneeling); and (standing), Emma Howe, Evelyn Oliver and Julie Joyce.
