Show examines the poetry of war

"Not About Heroes," a highly acclaimed play about how war inspires poetry, opens today as the latest production put on by PlayMakers Repertory Company.

The story concerns Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, two of England's greatest contemporary wartime poets, who met at Craiglockhart Hospital.

Both Sassoon and Owen were decorated World War I heroes who struggled with the brutal trauma of trench warfare.

Sassoon, diagnosed with insanity, and Owen, a victim of shell-shock accused of cowardice, were both sent to the distinguished hospital where nearly 150 British officers were treated for mental illnesses.

In their poetry and lives, the older Sassoon acts as a mentor to the younger Owen.

"It's a moving story of young men sucked into the maelstrom of war," said English Professor Christopher Armitage, who teaches a class on World War I poetry at UNC.

Organizers said the play has historic as well as educational value.

"You will learn a lot about war and the effects of war," said Pam O'Connor, who oversees media relations for PlayMakers.

The story might sound bleak, but it does have some uplifting elements.

"At its heart, it's about how something even like war can inspire poetry," O'Connor said.

War history buffs or casual PlayMakers attendees should find elements of the production intriguing.

It will be different from most plays, which have a multitude of speaking parts.

"It's a two-person show - a dramatization of the true story," O'Connor said.

Returning to his alma mater, Joseph Haj, a 1988 graduate of UNC, is directing and facilitating the unique structure of Stephen MacDonald's play.

Haj trained under David Hammond, a professor of dramatic art at UNC.

"We are thrilled to bring him back in this capacity as director," O'Connor said.

Haj said the unique nature of MacDonald's screenplay, set during World War I when there was a limited culture of war protest, attempts to balance the "nationalism and rah-rah jingoism between mythic reality and (the) sensory reality of war."

The characters in the story transcend history and offer lessons applicable to today's audiences.

"Sometimes today, people may think you are either an artist or a soldier, but in these men we see the full flowering of both," O'Connor said.

Haj noted that "Not About Heroes" focuses on the harsh toll warfare takes on those who get down in the trenches.

"It's important to know neither were pacifists," Haj said.

"They were against the stupidity of this war. Whatever your feelings on war, this is the horrible cost of waging it."

Single tickets to "Not About Heroes" are priced from $10 to $40. Discounts are available for seniors, students and children.

The play runs through Dec. 19.

Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.