What's Next?

Bob Harter and Della Cole were the first Johnny Chastain and Katharine Hartgrove to tour with the show. More importantly, they defined the characters and helped us, in those early days, establish Letters From the Front's legacy of powerful and meaningful entertainment. Our hats (and helmets) off to them.

At the end of every season we are always asked, "How much longer will you be doing this?" The answer has been the same since 1991: as long as there is a need for Letters From the Front ,we will continue doing it.

Why?

Because Letters From the Front has always been more that just a show. It is theatre with a mission. We have been told countless times by those who have seen Letters From the Front that it has a cathartic effect; that it allows many in the audience to come to terms with emotions buried deep within.

Examples:

Viet Nam vets repeatedly tell us: "This is the welcome home I never got." Military wives and moms say: "Thanks for telling my story." Young recruits say: "You made me remember why I joined." Civilians with no military connections say: "Thanks for opening my eyes." Battle-hardened officers have told us: "I can't believe it. You made me cry."

As long as audiences continue to say: "It hit close to home, close to the heart," or "It really had a healing effect," we'll continue to bring Letters From the Front to those who need it most.

Will there be other editions of Letters From the Front in the future?  "A Vietnam War version is on the drawing boards," says Playwright Robert Rector.  "For our storyline to work, there has to be a generation between wars.  That was the case with Desert Storm (Vietnam) and with World War II (WWI).  It's also true with Vietnam (WWII).  It will probably take a couple of years to develop a third edition.  Our plate is very full right now."