A PIECE OF MY HEART to Open at Ivoryton Playhouse

Ivoryton Playhouse will continue its 2026 season with Shirley Lauro's moving play A Piece of My Heart, previewing October 1, opening October 2, and running through October 25.

Told through the experiences of six women who travel to Vietnam as nurses, military personnel, volunteers, and entertainers, A Piece of My Heart explores the courage, camaraderie, fear, and heartbreak of those who served and the profound challenges many faced when they returned home.

The characters themselves are fictional, but the experiences behind them are not. Lauro's play was inspired by Keith Walker's oral history, A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American Women Who Served in Vietnam, built from interviews with women who experienced the war firsthand. Their testimony became the foundation for six vivid characters whose stories unfold before, during, and long after their time in Vietnam.

For generations, the American story of the Vietnam War has largely centered on the experiences of men. A Piece of My Heart widens that lens, illuminating the service of women whose work placed them in extraordinary circumstances and whose sacrifices, courage, and lasting wounds were too often overlooked.

Behind the scenes, the creative team continues this focus on women's voices, bringing a new generation of women artists to a story whose perspectives have too often been overlooked.

Executive/Artistic Director Jacqui Hubbard directs the production, with scenic design by Kim Zhou, lighting design by Qier Luo, sound design by Rhian Franchebois, projection design by Ein Kim, props by Kat Schorn, and costume design by Heidi Hanson. James Joseph Clark* serves as Stage Manager, with Holly Price as Assistant Stage Manager and Brian Salvia as Audio Engineer.

The cast features Alicia Kaori* as Leeann, Allie Seibold* as Mary Jo, Angela Hall* as Steele, Mandy Evans* as Whitney, Autumn Eliza Sheffy as Martha, and Olivia Fenton as Sissy. Galen Donovan portrays the many American men who move through their stories.

With humor, music, and deeply human storytelling, A Piece of My Heart remembers the Vietnam War not as an abstraction or a chapter in a history book, but through the people who lived it. In doing so, the production honors the strength of veterans of every generation and reminds audiences that the full story of service includes voices that have not always been heard.