2003tour





		Work first started on Letters From the Front in September of 1990 when Operation Desert Shield was in its early stages. Although originally there was no intention of using the Persian Gulf War as a backdrop -- nobody thought there would actually be a war -- events over the following months changed rapidly and on March 6, 1991 Letters From the Front premiered, seemingly torn from the day's headlines. By June of '92 the play was starting its first tour of military installations. However, by 1999 Desert Storm was fading from the national consciousness, replaced by a renewed interest in World War II. We responded with a WWII edition of Letters From the Front that has been very popular. By 2003 we had come full circle. Once again our troops were deployed to the Persian Gulf facing the same adversary. Ironically the name of our Commander in Chief was also the same. Under the circumstances, we felt it appropriate to bring back the original Desert Storm Edition of Letters From the Front. Oddly enough, the Desert Storm Edition had now become a period piece and finding authentic costumes and props was almost as difficult as for the WWII edition, but we felt it was worth the effort. In the midst of the current conflict, the Desert Storm edition of Letters from the Front allowed audiences to journey back to when it all began. Did this mean the World War II edition was being mothballed? "Absolutely not," according to Producer Marsha Roberts. "The World War II version has been so popular, especially with boomers and vets, that we'll continue to book it according to the programming needs of specific venues."