Place of Angels returns to COD on May 21 |
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April 24, 2012
Place of Angels returns to COD on May 21
Place of Angels returns to COD on May 21
Special performance of Bob Adams’ Vietnam memoir
to benefit local veterans in need
“Place of angels” is the English translation of Con Thien, a village in Vietnam where Midwest Shelter For Homeless Veterans Co-Founder Bob Adams found himself in 1968, at the age of 20. Mr. Adams, a Navy Corpsman assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, considered Con Thien to be far from heavenly. Rather it was a hellish place where he did his best to patch up his combat buddies injured by enemy fire.
Place of Angels is also a one-man play that Mr. Adams wrote as the compelling story of his personal experiences with war, including why he enlisted in the Navy in 1966 and what he witnessed in his 12 months in Vietnam. It is a moving theatrical performance of a time that may seem long ago to some observers, but still feels like yesterday in the minds of many of our Vietnam veterans.
In a special performance to benefit the Midwest Shelter For Homeless Veterans, Place of Angels, a Jeff-recommended play, will return to the stage on Monday, May 21, 2012 at the College of DuPage’s McAninch Arts Center in Glen Ellyn. General admission tickets for the 7 p.m. performance are available for $50 and can be purchased by calling the McAninch box office at 630-942-4000 or online at www.atthemac.org.
The play again will be performed by veteran actor Jeff Still, who originated the role at Chicago’s Red Orchid Theater in April 2000. Mr. Still, who holds an MFA in Acting from The Theatre School, DePaul University, spent 20 years in Chicago theater, where he received numerous awards. He is now based in New York City.
Mr. Still will be performing the autobiographical experiences of Mr. Adams, which contrasts the terrifying and frustrating specter of war with the tender, brotherly bond between soldiers. Barely out of high school, Mr. Adams, had volunteered for the Navy in hopes of avoiding combat. Ironically, every choice he made, starting with his 1966 enlistment, would eventually land him right in the middle of some of the most intense fighting that Vietnam had to offer.
Two and a half years later, Mr. Adams’ body came home, but his mind was fractured. Nightmares, unbearable images, and horrifying sounds of brothers in arms screaming for their beloved “Doc” played over and over in his mind. How does one cope with the horrors of war? For Mr. Adams, he turned to pills, cocaine and alcohol.
With the help of family, including his mother, Mr. Adams made the long road back to recovery. After earning his master’s in social work and with years of sobriety, Mr. Adams continued to live up to his battlefield moniker of “Doc” by counseling veterans, police officers, firefighters and others who had experienced traumatic situations.
In 2007, Mr. Adams co-founded the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Wheaton, a transitional housing program that provides counseling, access to health care and educational and job-training services to U.S. veterans of any era to help them out of homelessness and back to useful, productive lives.
Please join the Midwest Shelter on May 21 to watch Jeff Still’s emotional performance in Bob Adams’ Place of Angels and help MSHV raise $30,000 to
Special performance of Bob Adams’ Vietnam memoir
to benefit local veterans in need
“Place of angels” is the English translation of Con Thien, a village in Vietnam where Midwest Shelter For Homeless Veterans Co-Founder Bob Adams found himself in 1968, at the age of 20. Mr. Adams, a Navy Corpsman assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, considered Con Thien to be far from heavenly. Rather it was a hellish place where he did his best to patch up his combat buddies injured by enemy fire.
Place of Angels is also a one-man play that Mr. Adams wrote as the compelling story of his personal experiences with war, including why he enlisted in the Navy in 1966 and what he witnessed in his 12 months in Vietnam. It is a moving theatrical performance of a time that may seem long ago to some observers, but still feels like yesterday in the minds of many of our Vietnam veterans.
In a special performance to benefit the Midwest Shelter For Homeless Veterans, Place of Angels, a Jeff-recommended play, will return to the stage on Monday, May 21, 2012 at the College of DuPage’s McAninch Arts Center in Glen Ellyn. General admission tickets for the 7 p.m. performance are available for $50 and can be purchased by calling the McAninch box office at 630-942-4000 or online at www.atthemac.org.
The play again will be performed by veteran actor Jeff Still, who originated the role at Chicago’s Red Orchid Theater in April 2000. Mr. Still, who holds an MFA in Acting from The Theatre School, DePaul University, spent 20 years in Chicago theater, where he received numerous awards. He is now based in New York City.
Mr. Still will be performing the autobiographical experiences of Mr. Adams, which contrasts the terrifying and frustrating specter of war with the tender, brotherly bond between soldiers. Barely out of high school, Mr. Adams, had volunteered for the Navy in hopes of avoiding combat. Ironically, every choice he made, starting with his 1966 enlistment, would eventually land him right in the middle of some of the most intense fighting that Vietnam had to offer.
Two and a half years later, Mr. Adams’ body came home, but his mind was fractured. Nightmares, unbearable images, and horrifying sounds of brothers in arms screaming for their beloved “Doc” played over and over in his mind. How does one cope with the horrors of war? For Mr. Adams, he turned to pills, cocaine and alcohol.
With the help of family, including his mother, Mr. Adams made the long road back to recovery. After earning his master’s in social work and with years of sobriety, Mr. Adams continued to live up to his battlefield moniker of “Doc” by counseling veterans, police officers, firefighters and others who had experienced traumatic situations.
In 2007, Mr. Adams co-founded the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Wheaton, a transitional housing program that provides counseling, access to health care and educational and job-training services to U.S. veterans of any era to help them out of homelessness and back to useful, productive lives.
Please join the Midwest Shelter on May 21 to watch Jeff Still’s emotional performance in Bob Adams’ Place of Angels and help MSHV raise $30,000 to
