FIRST DAY IN DECEMBER To Play At Diversionary Black Box Theatre In San Diego

Compulsion Dance and Theatre will present FIRST DAY IN DECEMBER, a drama by Richard Fouts, at San Diego’s Diversionary Black Box Theatre in March 2026. The production will be directed by Michael Mizerany and will run from March 6 through March 22 at the venue located at 4545 Park Boulevard.

Set on the evening of December 1, 1969, the play unfolds in real time inside a fraternity house at an Ivy League university as a group of young men gather to celebrate a birthday. The atmosphere shifts as a live radio broadcast announces the Vietnam draft lottery, during which birth dates are drawn to determine the order of conscription.

“The play unfolds in real-time during the evening of December 1, 1969 in a fraternity house at an Ivy League university,” said director Michael Mizerany. “While the guys are getting ready to celebrate the 21st birthday of their fraternity's president, the mood dramatically shifts as a live radio broadcast of the Vietnam draft lottery begins.”

Playwright Richard Fouts said the work draws directly from his own college experience. “The draft lottery hit me and my fraternity brothers by complete surprise,” he said, noting that the play reflects how quickly the night turned. “In First Day in December, an ordinary Monday night quickly becomes a nightmare as 366 capsules, each one containing a different birth date, are excruciatingly drawn, one-by-one, to determine the order these young men will be drafted to Vietnam.”

Fouts added, “The lottery also revealed how naïve we were in believing our status at a prestigious school would make us exempt. In the play, one of the first to go is the university's star quarterback.” The script also addresses the measures young men took to avoid the draft, including leaving the country or attempting to fail medical examinations.

Mizerany emphasized that the play focuses on personal reactions rather than combat. “This is not a war drama, rather how a bunch of young college men react when faced with their own mortality,” he said. “While it's a serious play, audiences will also experience the sustaining power of friendship, brotherly love, and humor.”

Fouts said the idea to write the play emerged as the 50th anniversary of the draft approached. “As we approached the 50th anniversary of the draft, stories of how the lives of my generation were turned upside down began showing up all over social media, radio and television,” he said. “Many of us were just 19 years old at the time. Re-living the memories of that night convinced me this story belonged on the stage, in an intimate setting that only live theater can provide.” He added that following a sold-out San Francisco premiere, he was pleased to bring the play to San Diego.