American Soldiers “In Conflict”

About this illustration: http://graphics.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Globe_Graphic/2005/12/27/1135745279_1689.gif

With a traditionally American backdrop consisting of Uncle Sam and colored red, white, and blue, the cast of In Conflict makes its way to the stage. The audience is immediately placed in a military setting by the initial exercises practiced by the actors and then introduced to Ty Simmons, played by Tom Rader. It is from this point that the Temple University actors confront a major issue on the small stage of the Barrow Street Theatre.

As the play is based on a collection of true stories of American soldiers in Iraq, it progresses to include various events. Almost all of these events prove to be traumatic and life-altering, some of which include soldiers losing body parts, witness accounts of Iraqis civilians being mistreated, and loss of identity. This is mainly due to author Yvonne Latty’s decision to interview a diverse population that was negatively impacted by the effects of the Iraqi war. Although each character is guaranteed to impress on your heart, the most notable include Stan Demidoff, Herald Noel, and of course, Joy Notoma. What makes these characters so memorable is their individual portrayals in the play; Demidoff being the kind Russian immigrant who passes out cookies, Noel being the soldier scarred to the point of alcoholism and devastation, and Notoma being the super perky and, dare I say, annoying nurse.

Although there might have been other flaws (e.g. shortage of actors, not enough props) in In Conflict, I mainly had one concern. Tracy Ringo, the actor who plays Joy Notoma, gives a confusing performance; the whole time she is reciting her lines the audience wonders if her extremely cheerful personality is a result of bad acting or if her attitude actually fits her character. Given that each actor/actress had to learn his/her character through a script and a taped interview, my best guess would be that Ringo didn’t genuinely arrange her performance.

At the end of the play, however, the audience is given a positive impression of American soldiers. The painful scenes and emotions of war are exposed to the audience in order to help it better understand the positions of not just American soldiers, but soldiers everywhere. In addition, Ty Simmons outrightly states that even though some people (including soldiers themselves) may disagree with war, that gives us no right to disrespect men and women who are fighting for their lives and country. The stories of the featured American soldiers promise to linger in your mind for years to come, making In Conflict a powerful, although small, production.