YANK Comes to Indianapolis

Theatre has a long history of mirroring social injustice and highlighting deeply personal struggles. While scores of plays illuminating the real-life issues of heterosexuals have been written over the years, the stories of the lives of those in the gay community have often been over-simplified or entirely overlooked.

Breezy shows like "La Cage Aux Folles" and "Kinky Boots" sought solely to entertain, with a light message of tolerance underneath. Deeper shows like "The Boys in... the Band" and "Angels in America" told the harrowing story of the AIDS crisis and highlighted the fears that surrounded the stigma of being gay, but left the audience devastated. There are only a few real stories of both the joys and the sorrows of those in the gay community over the years-shows that allow the audience to feel a genuine connection to the characters and experience their struggles while still finding hope and being entertained.

"Yank" is one of those shows. Written by brothers David and Joseph Zellnick, "Yank" tells the story of Stu, a midwestern kid in the military during World War II. An illicit kiss with a fellow enlistee causes him to question everything he thought was true about himself. "Yank" shows us his journey from an awkward kid who is afraid of his own truth to the man he grows into-- and shows us all the good and the bad in between.

"Yank" is an amazing combination of a grand, toe-tapping 1940s movie musical and a gritty, wartime stage play. And at a time when gay rights in the military are once again being called into question, this beautiful story couldn't be more timely.