Dukesbay Theater

  Any fan of grassroots, independent theater would root for Dukesbay Theater’s production of Calligraphy by Velina Hasu Houston. The play’s premise is interesting and fits Dukesbay’s mission “to give a voice to artists of all ethnicities.” Plus, this is a production of a work by a little-known playwright being put on in downtown Tacoma. Unfortunately, Dukesbay Theater’s production of Calligraphy has just enough enjoyable moments to leave one wondering what exactly went wrong in this endeavor to tell a worthy story.
Calligraphy tells the story of a divided Japanese family. Younger sister Noriko married an Afro-Cuban American G.I. and emigrated to the United States…

It’s an incredible tragedy that when Americans remember our modern war heroes we largely forget about the thousands of heroines that served along with them.

During the Vietnam War, about 11,000 women were stationed in the country, according to the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation. The majority served as nurses, about 90 percent, but some also served as physicians, intelligence officers and air traffic controllers.

Nearly all the women in Vietnam were volunteers.

“A Piece of My Heart” follows six young women thrown into a war zone on a story of calamity, confusion and inner conflict that is rarely seen in popular war stories. This story is unique not only in that it shows the war through women’s eyes but also because it focuses on battles behind the frontlines.