In Conflict

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I went to see the show, In Conflict, in Greenwich Village. I was looking forward to seeing this play, especially because I was never in the area before. I expected the play to be a little bit depressing but to mostly portray the war in Iraq as necessary and its veterans as heroes. However, this is not at all what I actually watched, it was something of a completely different nature.
The play is based on the book that a journalist wrote about the stories of Iraqi war veterans. She interviewed about 12 people and asked them about their experiences in the war and their life when they came back home to the United States. Most of the people she interviewed, tell her all of the negative experiences they have had in the war. Some suffered from horrible injuries, while others spoke about the loss of a relative or friend. Students from Temple University acted out the veterans in the book.
The play opened up with some creepy music, and it lead right into the depressing tone of the play. I felt that the message in the play was mostly one of anti-war propaganda. Instead of portraying the loss of limbs as a heroic act, something to proud as a symbol of patriotism to America, the actors portrayed it as something terrible. Some parts of the play would have been exactly the same whether it was about the evils of car accidents, or war. I felt that the play would have been more meaningful if there were three or four major characters that the viewer could follow throughout. This was it would help the play seem more relatable, and build a connection from the audience to the characters.
Ty Simmons, one of the veterans portrayed, was an excellent example of someone who has feelings for this country. The author could have chosen a few more people who had positive, patriotic feelings towards America, rather than mostly those who were bitter, or injured, emotionally or physically. Ty was a necessary character in the drama, to give the perspective on war from a veteran of both Vietnam and Iraq. I also liked the point in the play when one of the veterans said, “If you get a job and don’t like it, you can just quit. We in the army cannot do that or we’ll get thrown into prison.” I was never aware of this fact, and I feel like this clarifies a lot about the issues.
So, if depressing propaganda is not of interest to you, do not go to this play. I would recommend that this play should be viewed only as a way to gain insight into the perspective of veterans who have had negative experiences in war.