Public workshop of new Iraq War play scheduled for Feb. 25
Highland Falls. The reading of former Marine Phillip Korth’s dark comedy/docudrama ‘War Wound’ to take place at American Legion Post 633 in Highland Falls.
Cornwall /
| 07 Feb 2023 | 04:50
Playwright Phillip Korth
Director Christopher Paul Meyer
Veterans Repertory Theater announces a public workshop of the new Iraq War dark comedy/docudrama, “War Wound,” by former Marine Phillip Korth, in advance of a possible future production.
The reading will take place Saturday, Feb. 25, at 6 p.m. at American Legion Post 633 in Highland Falls.
Directed by Christopher Paul Meyer, the workshop will feature professional NYC-based actors.
The performance is sponsored by American Legion Post 633 and will be in conjunction with the post’s fund raiser. VetRep will conduct a Q&A session after the performance to provide immediate feedback for the playwright.
“War Wound” was a finalist for VetRep’s inaugural playwriting competition as well as the 2020 Arts in the Armed Forces Bridge Award and the 2012 Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference.
The background
Set in Kuwait and Iraq during the early months of 2003, “War Wound” follows a group of U.S. Marines through the build-up to invasion and into the first tenuous days of a long, uncertain conflict.
They experience war for the first time and discover the boredom, brotherhood and bloodshed that define combat.
Blending documentary-style realism and elements of epic theatricality, this drama is more about filling sandbags than body bags. Its conflicts are taut, brutal, but ultimately anti-climatic, as so few aspects of modern war prove to match the Marines’ expectations.
“War Wound” is a story common to all soldiers’ experiences but still unique to the generation that fought in Iraq and Afghanistan at the beginning of the century. Its characters come to bear the scars all veterans carry, living and dead, injured and uninjured.
‘A new voice, a new perspective’
“Phil Korth is one of the phenomenal playwrights emerging from the Global War on Terror era, bringing a new voice and a new perspective to American theater,” Meyer said. “His play combines raw, funny, haunting realism and the unsanitized speech of Marine infantrymen – I cannot think of any play in American theater that provides a clearer window into the personalities, tensions, and frustrations that emerge through wartime military experience. We’re excited to hear it out loud for the first time and listen to the feedback of the local audience – civilians and veterans alike.”
Tickets are free and can be acquired at https://vetrep.org/now-playing, by emailing info@vetrep.org, or by calling VetRep’s box office at 845-272-2611.
About Veterans Repertory Theater
Veterans Repertory Theater is a tax-exempt, non-profit 501c3 organization which provides a platform for veterans to create compelling live theater and events. Coming from three generations of theater performers, Army veteran and Bronze Star recipient Christopher Paul Meyer founded VetRep following his separation from the military in February 2021.
VetRep assesses, develops and mentors talented writers who must be current or former military, law enforcement, fire/EMS, foreign service, intelligence service, DoD contractors/employees, or an immediate family member.
VetRep’s programming includes weekly staged readings at VetRep’s Parlor in Cornwall, Savage WonderGround immersive art performances at unique venues along the East Coast, the Savage Wonder Festival of Veterans in the Arts, and readings/workshops of veteran-authored world premiere plays, in advance of future productions.
In 2023, VetRep will also launch acting and writing workshops in order to develop more veteran artists in each media. VetRep’s popular Savage Wonder literary blog and Savage Wonder podcast are both year-round productions.
Phillip Korth
Phillip Korth is a playwright, actor, craftsman and educator. His play ‘War Wound’ was a finalist for the 2020 Arts in the Armed Forces Bridge Award and was previously a finalist for the 2012 Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference.
He is a graduate of Western Michigan University, where he received BAs in Theatre Performance and Creative Writing, and the University of Connecticut, where he earned his MFA in Acting.
Korth is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and served two tours of duty in Iraq. He lives in southern California and teaches at Pacific Ridge School in Carlsbad.
Christopher Paul Meyer
Director Christopher Paul Meyer comes from three generations of theater performers. He is a graduate of Improv Olympic and the PIT and was “all but dissertation” at Second City and then later at Upright Citizens Brigade when life interrupted each graduation. H
e performed as an actor at The Public Theater, La MaMa, Princeton Rep, Shakespeare on the Sound, Primary Stages, and the Chekov Theater Ensemble. (If you remember him from Guiding Light, you seriously watch too much soap opera and should cut down a lot.)
As a stand-up comic, he was a regular at the Comic Strip, Standup NY, and the Original NY Improv.
He also directed plays, had screenplays optioned, and lived out of his car for extended periods of time. He has spent significant parts of his life as a nightclub bouncer, firefighter, corporate security trainer, and prison chaplain.
His time in the military was spent as a highly trained combat typist, and he somehow ended up with a Bronze Star in Afghanistan.