A Piece of My Heart

As longtime readers know, I was once in the United States Marine Corps and wore a camouflage uniform every single day. My active duty ended in spring 2004, but my uniforms live on in New Gate Celtic Theatre’s costume shop.

Here, actress Tara Williams wears one of my old blouses to yell at me in a promotional shot for A Piece of My Heart.


I think she’s berating at me for not telling you about my new show, yet.
And wasn’t that a slick segue from style to shameless show promotion?

New Gate Celtic Theatre Company announces their latest production, A Piece of My Heart by Shirley Lauro, which runs May 21 through May 23 at the Madisonville Arts Center, 5021 Whetsel Ave. in Madisonville. Evening shows on May 21 & 22 start at 8:00 pm. Matinee’s on May 22 & 23 start at 3 pm. All tickets are $15*. For more information, checkout www.newgateceltictheatre.org or call the Madisonville Art Center box office at 513-247-8100. Group rates are available by calling 513-617-0784.
*additional fees may apply

Based on a book of the same title by Keith Walker, A Piece of My Heart takes up a subject largely missing from the reams of material written about the Vietnam War, namely the women who served there. Ms. Lauro has taken six disparate characters and created a complex yet complete narrative from their stories. The women (three nurses, one USA entertainer, a Red Cross volunteer and a military intelligence officer) are depicted before, during and after their service. Dealing with the chaos of life in a war zone, they each adapt and survive. Upon returning to the States, they must cope with issues of Agent Orange poisoning, alcoholism, and what is now known as post-traumatic stress disorder. A visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial brings a measure of peace and hope.

A Piece of My Heart has become an enduring voice for those women warriors who stepped outside the accepted roles of the times to take a different path. The hundreds of productions of this drama include a Command Performance at the dedication of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial statue and a production at the Gates of Arlington Cemetery at the 10th anniversary of the statue’s dedication.

Director Daniel Cohen has assembled a remarkable cast of young acting talent: Kasmira Kit of College Hill as Whitney; Ellen Guffey, NKU theatre major, as Sissy; Chauntel MacKenzie as Steele; Megan Hudson, another NKU theatre major and Louisville native, as Mary Jo; Tara Williams of Colrain as Martha; Jolen Carlos from Cleveland, now living in Covington, as Leeann, and Simon Powell taking on the daunting role of Everyman, soldier, sailor or marine who touches the lives of these six extraordinary women.


The cast – being extraordinary. (But we’re missing Chauntel.)
Photos by Beefy Muchacho