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 SETTING THE STAGE...
With increasing frequency Americans are comparing the war in Iraq to the Vietnam War. Media reports and casual conversations across the country are filled with phrases like “noble cause,” “mistaken war,” “lack of preparation,” “quagmire,” “support our troops,” and “no exit strategy.” A whole new generation of veterans are streaming back from Iraq, carrying with them the physical injuries and the psychological scars of a conflict that has divided America as acutely as the rest of the world. Often forgotten or left behind, our veterans understand better than anyone the real price of war…
ABOUT THE PLAY
 Ben and Jeeter meet each summer at a desolate California trailer park, inextricably bound to one another by the time they served together in Vietnam. Jeeter is an associate professor at a small liberal college and a restless wanderer, regularly following the Rolling Stones so he can display his homemade sign urging them to “Just Stop.” Ben is a homebody who refuses to abandon his rusted-out trailer even though it sits atop a toxic waste dump.
While Jeeter suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, Ben is haunted by the ghost of a fallen soldier and a lingering feeling of betrayal by the government. Ben and Jeeter’s boys-will-be-boys bond has stood the test of time for over 20 years, but when Jeeter’s young and unpredictable new girlfriend arrives on the scene with her opinionated mother in tow, time-tested rituals give way to confessions and self-discoveries... the past may finally be catching up with them at last. LAST OF THE BOYS is a fierce, funny and mesmerizing character study that speaks to America’s situation in Iraq by revealing the lessons still to be learned from Vietnam.
ON THE WEB & IN THE PRESS:
 “Powerhouse Acting...Impressive Play…
there's a special brand of humorous intensity... ”
“a dream come true for those who like to use art as a mirror to
the human experience …
unflinching … incredibly powerful ...
evokes a torrent of
emotions ...
a thought-provoking,
riveting theatrical experience ..."
“... A richly textured and engrossing play ...
undeniably compelling ...
[Susan] Moses ... is deeply affecting ... terrific ...
Dietz’s script is passionate, powerful and tender ... ”
 “... it is intimate and earnest, and
its theme - unfortunately - still resonates
... Last of the Boys has heart …”
“... Heart-Wrenching ...
By turns comic and dramatic ... poignant ...
director Paul Meshejian's astute and vigorous work
will set you feeling first and then thinking long and hard ...”
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
’s plays and adaptations—which include LONELY PLANET, PRIVATE EYES, INVENTING VAN GOGH, DRACULA, FORCE OF NATURE, HALCYON DAYS, and THE NINA VARIATIONS (all published by DPS)—have been seen at over one hundred regional theatres in the United States, as well as Off-Broadway. International productions of his work have been seen in England, Japan, Germany, France, Australia, Sweden, Russia, Slovenia, Argentina, Peru, Singapore and South Africa. Recent work includes FICTION (produced Off-Broadway by the Roundabout Theatre Company); LAST OF THE BOYS (produced by Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago); and several widely-produced adaptations: HONUS AND ME (from Dan Gutman), and SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE FINAL ADVENTURE (from William Gillette and Arthur Conan Doyle).
Interviews with Steven Dietz:
Conducted by
Peter Bonilla, InterAct Theatre Company's Literary Manager
Conducted
during Steppenwolf's 2005 production of LAST OF THE BOYS
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
is Founding Artistic Director of PlayPenn, a national New Play Development Conference. For InterAct he directed last season’s SINCE AFRICA by Mia McCullough and has appeared in MASTERGATE and WHORES. He directed Bill Corbett’s HECKLER for 1812 Productions, Russel Davis and Jon Held’s TALES OF LUNACY, at Touchstone Theatre and Nancy Bagshaw-Reasoner’s TOUGH LOVE at Cheltenham Theatre, anda number of short plays for People’s Light and Theatre where he has been a company member since 1989. He has performed with the Arden Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company and the Wilma Theater, among others. TV and film; Alan Rudloph’s Equinox, Terry Gilliam’s Twelve Monkeys, Bruce Charlesworth’s Private Enemy – Public Eye, The Final Patient and HBO’s Homicide; Life on the Streets and The Wire.
ABOUT THE CAST & CREW
(Jeeter) returns to InterAct Theatre Company after having appeared in Steven Dietz’s GOD’S COUNTRY. Other theatre includes LOVERS, KING LEAR, PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD and VILLAGE WOOING (Lantern Theatre); SEX, DRUGS, ROCK & ROLL (Wilma); NITE CLUB CONFIDENTIAL (Philadelphia Area Rep); VISIONS OF CODY (Novel Stages); DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE (Vox). Films include: The Village, Runaway Bride, 12 Monkeys. Television includes “Hack” and “Sex and the City.”
returns for her third show with InterAct. Previous shows were DRINK ME and JAMBULU. She has also participated in InterAct's Writing Aloud series. In the Philadelphia area, Karen has performed with People's Light and Theatre Company in SECRET GARDEN, ONCE IN A LIFETIME, MAN FROM NEBRASKA, BORN YESTERDAY (Barrymore Nomination for Best Actress), and HUMBLE BOY; Arden Theatre in 12TH NIGHT, BOXCAR CHILDREN, and A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY; The Walnut Street Theatre in OF MICE AND MEN; Act II Playhouse in THE LONESOME WEST and TAKING SIDES; The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival in HAMLET, AS YOU LIKE IT, and OTHELLO, and others. Regionally, she worked with the Folger Theatre in Washington D.C. in TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA and MEASURE FOR MEASURE (Helen Hayes Award for Best production); The Boarshead Theatre in Michigan in HAMLET and CRIPPLE OF INISHMANN; and The Peterborough Players in New Hampshire in IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, WAIT UNTIL DARK, CHERRY ORCHARD, and A DOLL’S HOUSE.
recently participated in the 2007 PlayPenn reading series. Locally she has performed in productions of, among others, TRUE WEST and AFTER-PLAY at the Walnut Street Theatres' Studio Theater, COUPLA WHITE CHICKS at Ripley's, and enjoyed a long run as Babs DeMarco in the Burgundy Theatre production of SHEAR MADNESS. Regional Credits include: SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS at Theatre J in Washington, D.C. and MOON OVER BUFFALO at Bristol Riverside Theatre. Off-Broadway Credits: YENTL (Yiddish Premiere), FROM DOOR TO DOOR, THE WITCH OF EDMONTON, ANTIGONE, and A COMEDY OF EFFORS. Film & Television credits: Invincible; Killer Instinct; Mafioso...The Father, the Son; Breath; Seduction of the Will; Hack; Forensic Files; and As the World Turns.
returns to InterAct after 2004’s IN THE HEART OF AMERICA. Recently, he has been seen in THE GAME OF LOVE and CHANCE with Commonwealth Classics, a PlayPen workshop of MILITANT LANGUAGE, CLOUD 9 at the Wilma, PSYCHOPATHIA SEXUALIS and BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE at the Montgomery Theater, MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH with Wandering Rom and the Metropolitan Playhouse, and BALM IN GILEAD with the Maya Project. Film and TV credits include Hack and Rent Control. He teaches at the Walnut Street Theatre and Young Playwrights, and is a teaching artist for InterAct. His play, AN IMPERFECT SONNET, will be produced by the Cardboard Box Collaborative in February 2008. Davey received his MFA from Temple University.
The design team for LAST OF THE BOYS includes Set Design by Matt Saunders, Costume Design by Millie Hiibel, Lighting Design by Josh Schulman and Sound Design by Chris Colucci. The production will be Stage Managed by Michele Traub and Technically Directed by Andy Campbell.
EXPLORING THE ISSUES
During LAST OF THE BOYS, InterAct will host several post-performance talk-backs to encourage further discussion on the issues it raises. Speaker Sundays, a series featuring invited scholars, community leaders and artists, are scheduled to follow matinee performances on:
Featuring members of
The Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia
Featuring Dr. Salman Akhtar,
Professor of Psychiatry at Jefferson University
Featuring Rabbi Arthur Waskow,
Director of The Shalom Center and Activist
Featuring
As a 10 year active duty Navy veteran, Ms. Jesseman works as a Readjustment Counselor, responsible for conducting individual and group therapy sessions to assist Combat veterans and their families with all types of issues that may arise after they return home.
LAST OF THE BOYS is proud to be a part of the
2007 Independence Starts Here: A Festival of Disability Arts and Culture
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