(4)
Women and War (One-Act)
Jack Hilton Cunningham
Women and War
by Jack Hilton Cunningham
Highlights
60 mins Present Day Ensemble Cast Bare Stage/Simple Set Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
Synopsis
Through correspondence and monologues, in the style of reader’s theater, Women and War is a collection of fictional stories based on historical fact, told by generations of Americans impacted by conflict from The Great War to the War in Afghanistan.
From housewife to worker, young bride to nurse, mother to widow, and now, young woman to soldier, these are tales of sacrifice, love, determination and hope told by those who bravely persevere on the home front and on the battlefield.
In Women and War , correspondence and monologues are used intermittently.
The correspondence between characters places the audience in specific time frames and allows the audience a real sense of the relationships between characters.
The characters are portrayed in their isolation, seeking an outlet for the expressions of their love and concern for their loved ones.
Monologues are utilized to reveal what is truly going on in the mind of a character regarding the story they have to share.
Correspondences and monologues are interwoven to create “through lines” of conflict, dramatic and situational irony.
While the individual stories are chronological, the entire play is not.
For the purpose of comparison, suspense, and character development, lightheartedness is juxtaposed with the many obvious horrors of war.
The element of relief has long been used as a theatrical convention in order to keep audiences entertained, while also addressing the need for a mental and emotional break from the severity of certain storylines.
Press Reviews
"Deeply touching and educational...this play is an emotional roller coaster. These accounts are moving...funny, exciting, humbling, and incredibly sad all at the same time."
— Theatre Is Easy
"Awe inspiring. Playwright Cunningham is a magician delivering the internal voices of multiple generations of women who've served as wives, nurses, sweethearts and officers spanning from WWI to Afghanistan. Women and War is essential theater. A moving and poignant scrapbook of the American war experience."
— United Stages
Characters
| Character |
|---|
| BUDDY 20s; engaged to HELEN; WW II era; loves Helen; is proud of what he is doing for his country, as difficult as it is. |
| HELEN 20s; engaged to BUDDY; WW II era; extremely young and naïve; tries to remain optimistic and enthusiastic; she still easily gets caught up in the niceties of daily life. |
| JOHNNY 20s; married to AGNES; Korean conflict era; has a young son with Agnes; as Johnny begins to lose hope struggles with the realities of war; he also becomes more openly loving toward Agnes. |
| AGNES 20s; married to JOHNNY; Korean conflict era; has a young son with Johnny. |
| JACK 30s; married to BETSY; Vietnam War Era; has three sons; Jack is a pilot; extremely practical and matter-of-fact about the reality of what might happen to him during the war. |
| BETSY 30s; married to JACK; Vietnam War Era; has three sons; tries to stay strong while waiting for Jack in Chicago; enjoys their boys as they mature. |
| VIETNAM MARINE Late teens/early 20s; he starts out upbeat, ready to fight. He loves his family, adores his mother; as the reality of the war settles in, he reveals his anger and hatred toward Vietnam. |
| VIETNAM NURSE a young Catholic woman; mentally strong even in horrific circumstances. |
| BARBARA BERRY (Camp Follower) - married; is following her husband to his basic training assignment. |
| HELLO GIRL a French Canadian woman; WWI era; works as a telephone operator; one of 223 women sent to France during WWI to work the military phones there. |
| GOLD STAR MOTHER an older Jewish woman whose three sons were lost during WWII. |
| MOTHERS OF... Essie Waters, a pro-German, anti-Semitic American woman; WWII Era; believes that the Allied Policy is nonsense; espouses hatred toward Eleanor Roosevelt; she believes that an unconditional German surrender is un-Christian. |
| WWII NURSE a young woman from a close-knit Minnesota family; WW II era; tries to stay strong as she cares for the boys wounded in action. |
| MOLLY (DOUGHNUT GAL) a young woman from Ithaca NY; Red Cross Girl who drives an army truck and serves coffee and doughnuts to the army men in France and England; she loves to dance and is full of life. |
| MADGE MCALISTER (WESTERN UNION GIRL) 60s - 70s; worked for Western Union in Kentucky the during WWII sending, receiving, and delivering telegrams; most notably, telegrams of regret to the devastated families of her rural town; relives her story. |
| SPECIALIST 4TH CLASS DELANEY 20s; was 17 when 9/11 changed her life and made her determined to protect the US; served in Afghanistan as a non-combatant, injured by an explosion; one leg is amputated below the knee; reveals the harsh new reality for many women during war in the 21st century. |
Publication
Women and War is a play written by Jack Hilton Cunningham and published by Samuel French .
Community Reviews
No community reviews yet
Buy Play
Performance Rights
Available for Licensing
Amateur & Professional
Fee: Minimum Fee: $110 per performance
Restrictions: Major Markets Only (US) / Standard Restriction (UK)
Apply for RightsSimilar Plays
Plays with similar themes, style, and content.
More from Jack Hilton Cunningham
More plays from Jack Hilton Cunningham that we think you'll enjoy.