Canfield drama students held a final dress rehearsal on Veterans Day. Fitting, since the play is a stage version of the popular military television show, MASH.
"I thought what a perfect venue for students to not only get a bit of real drama in their lives but some real history," said Kandace Cleland, drama director at Canfield High School.
Veterans play a key role in the production. Plenty of the props and uniforms were donated or loaned by local vets. They include many items from the War Vet Museum in Canfield.
"Duffel bags, torpedoes, I cannot believe all of the marvelous artifacts that they've allowed us to use," Cleland said.
"I'm very proud of it, yes, and that's one of the reasons we're here, to preserve this stuff," said Lew Speece, president of the War Vet Museum.
Veteran Ted Mathias, of Alliance, even let the cast and crew use an actual medical unit from Korea and Vietnam in the play. Surgical scenes were filmed inside the unit and will be played back as part of the show.
"He had tears in his eyes when he saw his medical equipment come alive again, and that's been the best experience of all," Cleland said.
"It's going to really honor our veterans in a way that we hope that they'll enjoy," Miller added.
The curtain goes up at 7 p.m. Thursday. The show also runs at 8 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.
