Gary Sinise Talks Veteran-Penned Play, LAST OUT: ELEGY OF A GREEN BERET
By Movieguide® Contributor
The Gary Sinise Foundation is preparing to put on a production of LAST OUT: ELEGY OF A GREEN BERET to help support local veterans.
“The beginnings of my real involvement with supporting our veterans goes back into the 80s,” Sinise explained. “I was working at Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago…I was looking for material that would speak to [Vietnam veterans’] experience and I found this play called TRACERS.”
TRACERS was written by a group of Vietnam vets and Sinise and his theater group put on the play, which the actor found “very healing.”
“We ended up starting a veteran’s night program that has lasted for over 40 years at Steppenwolf Theater,” Sinise shared.
The actor shared that the shows and the post-show question-and-answer portion of the play really affected the veterans who came to see the shows.
“Then I discovered there was a modern-day equivalent to [TRACERS] that had been written by Lieutenant Colonel Scott Mann, a retired Special Forces soldier who was dealing with some of the issues that were troubling him,” he explained.
The play, called LAST OUT: ELEGY OF A GREEN BERET, seemed to perfectly fit the “synergy” of Sinise’s other veteran-inspired theater work.
He went on to say that the play’s post-show discussions see the veterans “start opening up because of what they’ve witnessed onstage,” adding that in addition to the veteran’s point of view in the show, the casts are typically made up of veterans as well.
LAST OUT: ELEGY OF A GREEN BERET will be performed at the Escondido Performing Arts Center on May 5 and 6.
This is just the latest in a long line of projects Sinise has done in aid of our nation’s veterans. Movieguide® previously reported:
This holiday season, Gary Sinise expressed his gratitude for America’s servicemen and women.
“Supporting our nation’s heroes is my lifelong mission and I will continue to serve it faithfully,” Sinise shared. “It’s an honor to be recognized and the best part is that I get to, in turn, shine a light and recognize the true heroes who serve our country.”
In 2011, Sinise launched the Gary Sinise Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides support and fundraising for veterans.
“The mission of the Gary Sinise Foundation is broad, and this is a reflection of the needs I’ve seen over the many years supporting so many amazing organizations,” the actor explained. “And the Foundation’s mission is designed to also give us the freedom and flexibility to adapt to the ever-changing needs of our veterans, first responders, and the families who sacrifice alongside them.”
Sinise has spent years supporting the armed forces and veterans and frequently speaks about his admiration for them.
“Regardless of whether you are left or right, Republican or Democrat, conservative, liberal, whatever, our defenders defend us all,” Sinise said, “and having been in the military community for so long, I have met extraordinary people serving our country.”
He continued, “We all need heroes, people to look up to and aspire to. I think that we, as a grateful nation, can always do a little more to support them in their time of need.”
