Nov. 11 Play at Rutgers University, Newark, Airs
Problems of ‘ReEntry’ for Today’s Military Vets

(Newark, N.J., Nov. 4, 2009) –  A staged reading of ReEntry, a play about the difficulties of returning to civilian life after the stresses of combat, will take place  on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, at the Paul Robeson Campus Center of Rutgers University, Newark. The acclaimed Two Rivers Theater production was written by Emily Ackerman and KJ Sanchez, who describe it as a “highly theatrical multimedia play that is being created from interviews with service men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as their friends, families and loved ones.” 

One of the play’s stars, Joseph Harrell, a third-year student at Rutgers University, Newark, served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1999‐ 2008.

The reading, which is free and open to the public, begins at 2:30 p.m. in the center at 350 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.  

The play reading is part of a universitywide initiative to embrace returning veterans and active duty personnel. In recent months Rutgers campuses have also established a mentoring program for veterans, appointed a Campus Coordinator for Veterans Services as well as a Veterans Services Advisory Board, and set up a special website, http://www.newark.rutgers.edu/veterans/, with information about programs and services for veterans, Guard members and Reservists. 

According to Ackerman and Sanchez, “This play is not about politics. It is not about the why of this war. It’s about coming home from deployment, and being home between deployments. This play starts the moment that Marine steps off the plane and re-enters his/her life, family, country again.”

The play has personal meaning for both writers. Ackerman has two brothers, both U.S. Marines, who have served multiple deployments in Iraq, while Sanchez had five brothers in the military during the Vietnam War. Over the course of a year, Ackerman and Sanchez interviewed many veterans, enlisting several as advisors to the play. “These men and women became integral to the development of the play, reading each draft, providing feedback and insight, and introducing the authors to other veterans who then also became part of the process,” they explain.

 The Paul Robeson Campus Center is wheelchair-accessible, as is the Rutgers campus in Newark.  

GETTING TO RUTGERS UNIVERSITY IN NEWARK

BY MASS TRANSIT: Rutgers-Newark can be reached by New Jersey Transit buses and trains, the PATH train and Amtrak from New York City, and by the Newark Light Rail, Washington Street Station or Broad Street Station.

BY CAR: Rutgers-Newark can be reached by the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike, Routes 95, 21, 78, and 280, and the Lincoln and Holland tunnels. Metered parking is available on University Avenue. Other parking: Rutgers-Newark’s parking garage (200 University Ave.) or the Bradley Hall Lot. Printable  maps and driving directions at: www.newark.rutgers.edu/maps/index.php