Fauquier Community Theatre presents the stage adaptation of Tom Brokaw’s book “The Greatest Generation Speaks”

While Veterans Day honors all veterans, Fauquier Community Theatre has the unique opportunity to focus on the World War II era for “The Greatest Generation Speaks” that will take place February 3 – 19, 2023 in Warrenton, Virginia. The play is based on Tom Brokaw’s book “The Greatest Generation Speaks: Letters and Reflections:.” It is adapted for stage and directed by Dr. Harry J. Kantrovich, and produced by Don Richardson.

Brokaw had first written the book “The Greatest Generation” published in 1998 which inspired many people to write in with their memories of the World War II era. “When I wrote about the men and women who came out of the Depression, who won great victories and made lasting sacrifices in World War II and then returned home to begin building the world we have today—the people I called the Greatest Generation—it was my way of saying thank you. But I was not prepared for the avalanche of letters and responses touched off by that book. I had written a book about America, and now America was writing back.”—Tom Brokaw

Brokaw’s book “The Greatest Generation Speaks” collected the vast outpouring of letters Brokaw received from men and women who shared their intensely personal experiences. Some letters tell of the front during the war, others recall loved ones in harm’s way in distant places. They offer first-hand accounts of battles, poignant reflections on loneliness, exuberant expressions of love, and somber feelings of loss.

As Brokaw notes, “If we are to heed the past to prepare for the future, we should listen to these quiet voices of a generation that speaks to us of duty and honor, sacrifice and accomplishment. I hope more of their stories will be preserved and cherished as reminders of all that we owe them and all that we can learn from them.”

The production of “The Greatest Generation Speaks” at Fauquier Community Theatre brings to stage those firsthand account experiences. The play will take place on Fridays and weekends from February 3 – February 19, 2023 in the Vint Hill Theater on the Green at 4225 Aiken Drive, Warrenton, VA. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees are at 2 pm.

Several performances will feature post-show talkback sessions with expert panelists answering questions about the World War II era.
If you know someone who is a World War II veteran, please email greatestgeneration@FCTstage.org to inquire as to how they may be honored at some of the performances.

Fauquier Community Theatre is supported in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Virginia Commission for the Arts, PATH Foundation, Loeb Foundation, and the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation as well as local corporate sponsors including the production sponsor Jones Group International.