TRACERS
Tracers is valuable primarily because it defies the stereotypes about war. The play was developed by men who fought in Vietnam; the scenes are cut from the fabric of their own experience. John DiFusco, a Vietnam vet, invited six actors and a writer–also vets–to join him in improvising on their experiences in Vietnam. What emerged was a loosely connected series of scenes that revolve around six soldiers as they slog through a tour of duty in Vietnam.
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But these sentiments come from real experience, so even the melodrama rings true. There’s a sense of true-to-life anxiety that keeps the play fully charged as these recruits proceed to Vietnam, engage in firefights, get wounded, and die. There’s even dramatic tension in the scenes where they’re just sitting around, getting stoned and killing time.
The World War II veterans that Studs Terkel interviewed for his book The Good War all had vivid memories of combat. For many of them, the war was the central experience of their lives. “I remember every hour, every minute, every incident,” said one vet.
