TRIVIA

A RECORD WE'RE PROUD OF

Nearly 400 performances of the Desert Storm and WWII versions of Letters From the Front have played at 134 different military installations (more than twice at 57, three times or more at 18) throughout the U.S. and in 10 countries and territories overseas -- more than any other theatrical production.  In a show of appreciation, base commanders have showered the Rector-Roberts troupe with over 100 medals, trophies, and commendations, making Letters From the Front the world's most decorated play.

SETS IN OUR WAY

Two complete sets are required to tour Letters From the Front -- one for U.S. stages and the other for overseas venues.  Not only does the overseas set have to be smaller to accommodate playing in remote and often very small facilities, but it has to be specially constructed so that it folds up into self-contained shipping crates that can easily be transported on military and civilian cargo planes. 

POWER TO ENTERTAIN ABROAD

A 450 lb power converter travels with the Letters From the Front show overseas allowing our gear to be used regardless of foreign power differences.  It is the single heaviest piece of equipment connected with the show and an object of contempt by all those who are required to manhandle it onto and off of trucks and airplanes, earning it nicknames not suitable for printing.

PASSING THE TORCH

Since the play's premiere in 1991, thirteen actors have played the lead roles of Katharine Hartgrove and Johnny Chastain in Letters From the Front.  The reigning champs as far as number of performances: Della Cole (who originated the role of Katharine Hargrove)  with almost 200, and Neal Matthews with more than 120 as Johnny Chastain.  Michelle Rosen, Dannette Bock, Kathy Tyrell, Bobbi Kravis and Melanie Collup have also played Katharine.   Johnny has been played by Bob Harter, Jon Kohler, John Squire, Patrick Dizney, Bob Curren and David Regelmann.

HARDY ACTORS

No understudies tour with Letters From the Front, yet in fourteen stateside tours, four overseas tours, and over 370 performances, none of its actors have ever missed a show.

GETTING OUR MONEY'S WORTH

The sequined "Aunty Sam" jacket Katharine wears during a spoof of overblown patriotic pageants in Act I of Letters From the Front was originally a costume for a film Rector-Roberts Productions made for Revlon in 1987.  When Playwright/Director Robert Rector was first working out the staging for the scene, he remembered the costume and pulled it out of storage to give the scene added punch and humor.  That same jacket is still being used in the play today, but the matching top hat has been replaced twice.   Coincidentally, the actress who wore the jacket in the Revlon film was Della Cole, who four years later originated the role of Katharine Hartgrove in Letters From the Front and continued playing her for nearly 200 performances.

GLOBELAG

During the 1999 Pacific Rim Tour, the Letters From the Front troupe logged over 80 hours in the air and traveled over 50,000 miles, crossing the international date line four times and ping-ponging through 14 time zones.

NEPOTISM?

In the Desert Storm edition of Letters From the Front, the part of Katharine’s son, Mark (seen only in photos), was played by Alan Rector, son of playwright Robert Rector.  Why? The script called for photos of Mark going back to when he was a baby and Rector had plenty of those.  Plus, Alan was the same age as Mark.  For the same reason, in the WWII version the part of Katharine’s son is played by Rector’s father, Guy, who fought in the Pacific.

ORIGINS

Letters From the Front first opened at the Fourteenth St. Playhouse in Atlanta on March 6, 1991.  It was conceived as an experimental production by Producer Marsha Roberts and Playwright/Director Robert Rector, whose live productions for corporate clients such as Coca-Cola, IBM, and Georgia-Pacific had grown increasingly elaborate.  The husband and wife team wanted to see if they could produce a legitimate play and since their forte had been infotainment, decided to center the play around war correspondence, focusing on the theme "the fragile and precious nature of life" so prevalent in these letters.  There were never any plans to continue the play after its scheduled three week run.  In fact, another play -- a musical comedy -- was already on the drawing boards.  Because of strong audience response, especially among those involved in the military, both active duty and veterans, the possibility of developing the play further was considered.    

A PLAY  STRUCTURED BY CURRENT EVENTS

Letters From the Front was conceived as a play about fragile human relationships as revealed through war correspondence -- not about Desert Storm.  When scripting began in fall of 1990, the general consensus was that Iraq would back down.   Instead, we were at war when rehearsals began, forcing nightly rewrites so that our play accurately reflected current events.