Veterans will be admitted free-of-charge to the Saturday, Nov. 12 performance of The Institute, Coming of Age during the Vietnam War. Play author John N. Frank will hold a discussion session on the play with audience members following the show.
“This is our second veterans’ night. The discussion we had with four Vietnam vets after a show earlier in our run was one of the most moving experiences I have ever had,” says Frank.
The Institute deals with four young men in military school during the height of the Vietnam War from 1967 through 1971. It’s based on Frank;s own experiences attending a school, Xavier, in New York City.
“I entered Xavier expecting to go on to West Point and then serve in Vietnam,” recalls Frank of that era when it seemed that American involvement in Vietnam would go on indefinitely. “But I never did enter the armed forces nor did I serve in Vietnam.”
Not going has always left Frank with his own version of survivors’ guilt, wondering whether he let those who did serve down by not volunteering for military service directly after he graduated from Xavier.
That sense of guilt is addressed in the play and was discussed extensively with the veterans who attended the show’s first veterans night.
Veterans can secure tickets in advance by clicking here and using our VIP code in the discount box on the ticket site. Tickets for other guests also can be purchased there.