Piedmont Theatre Examines the Role of Women in Vietnam with A Piece of My Heart, Feb. 15-18

The Piedmont University Theatre Department continues the 23-24 Mainstage season with A Piece of My Heart, performing Feb. 15-18. “The play, A Piece of My Heart, by Shirley Lauro, has become the nation's most enduring theatrical production that deals with the Vietnam War,” according to the VVA Veteran.

A Piece of My Heart is the true story of six courageous women sent to Vietnam and their struggle to make sense of a war that irrevocably changed them. The play pinpoints significant moments in each woman's journey before and during their service. After the war, the women return to civilian life and must reconcile their need to serve humanity with the horrors they experienced during the war.

A Piece of My Heart will be performed Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Feb. 15-17, at 7:30 PM and Sunday, Feb. 18, at 2:00 PM in the Black Box Theatre in the Swanson Center for Performing Arts & Communications in Demorest.

“Of the 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, only eight of them are women. From these numbers, it would be natural to assume that women didn't play a significant part in the Vietnam War. However, 11,000 women WILLINGLY served in Vietnam as nurses, Army officers, Red Cross volunteers, and USO entertainers,” says A Piece of My Heart director Kathy Blandin. “As we approach the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, we must tell the stories of EVERYONE who served their country by going to Vietnam.”

Blandin directs the Piedmont production with Piedmont Junior Hunter Reum assistant directing. Piedmont Junior Gabriel Richman is the stage manager.

Cast members include:
Leading Players
Dakota Rose Chen, in the role of Leeann
Gracie Tipton, in the role of MaryJo
Sof Delgado, in the role of Martha
Haylie Collins, in the role of Sissy
Athena Lux, in the role of Whitney
Delyna Fuller, in the role of Steele

Ensemble Players
Tyler Pellegrino, Brayden Saxon, Tucker Cochran, and Joshua Farmer

General admission is $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students. Admission is free for Piedmont University faculty, staff, and students. Tickets may be purchased online at piedmont.edu/tickets or by calling the box office at 706-778-8500 x1355.

This show contains strong language and graphic descriptions of war violence which may be triggering for some patrons.

About Piedmont University
Founded in 1897, Piedmont University is a private, comprehensive liberal arts institution offering a personalized higher education experience focused on student success, academic achievement, and professional development. Offering a variety of career-oriented majors in the arts and sciences, business, education, and nursing, Piedmont’s supportive learning environment is defined by small class sizes, with a 12:1 ratio, that allow students to create meaningful relationships with their professors, classmates, and the campus community. Piedmont’s idyllic, 390-acre residential campus is nestled in the foothills of the north Georgia mountains, with a satellite campus situated in the heart of downtown Athens. For more, please visit www.piedmont.edu, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter/X.