The 2022-2023 Strawberry Hill Players open up this school year with their rendition of A Piece of My Heart by Shirley Lauro, a play described by the cast as “relevant,” “impactful,” and “heavy.” November 4, 5, 11, and 12 at 7:30 pm each night, they will be performing this play depicting the stories of six women who were a part of the Vietnam War. Leo Field, a junior who is a part of the production, describes it as being “about six women who were in the war, five of them were nurses, one of them was an entertainer […] It’s about how the war affected them, especially when they came back to the United States and how they were treated.” Other members have described it as deep, heartfelt, and heavy.

The drama club has been preparing for this play since the first week of school, auditions having been on September 8. When asked about preparation, the consensus was that they had all been working very hard. Connor Hoch, a senior and assistant stage manager, said that the stage crew has had to “write down blocking, figure out how to set up the stage, manage the stage, like [his] title, move travelers, move everything around, [and] keep the actors in order” to get the play ready.

Pierce Colfer, a senior and vice-president of the Strawberry Hill Players, says that A Piece of My Heart is a brilliant opportunity for the actors of Stamford High School to showcase their abilities. “Usually- for the fall plays-, we usually do comedies. We do pieces that you go, ‘Ha-ha funny.’ But, this piece is, like, not ha-ha funny at all. We have some very talented actors at this school, and they actually get the ability to show off that talent.” A Piece of My Heart is important for Stamford High School to perform, not only for this reason, but also because it offers insight into the experience of women during this time period of the Vietnam War, which is a story not often told.

Hoch, about the show, said, “It’s really good commentary. It delves into, y’know, the experience [of] women in the Vietnam War, which […] was not even discussed, or even recorded. It manages to get point-of-views from all around, adjusting to six very unique characters.”

Colfer was also asked how he would describe the show in three words, to which he said, “Heart-wrenching, emotional, powerful, and anti-war. I’m adding anti-war in there because who likes war? Not me.”

The cast includes a variety of people, spread throughout each grade. Zoe Guaman, a freshman and understudy to one of the leads, said, “We’re just amazing. It’s such a good show and cast- oh my God, I love the cast, they’re so cool. It’s a great show.”

Funds garnered from A Piece of My Heart will go towards an array of things. The money will be used to “[buy] rights to actually do the shows […], it goes towards props, it goes towards paying directors, it goes towards making sets,” according to Ms. Dunn, an English teacher here at SHS and the advisor of the Strawberry Hill Players and Improv Players. Funds also go toward senior scenes and the spring musical (The Prom), and anything left over goes to the drama club for next year. Tickets are only $10 for students, so be sure to make it!