Boots on the Ground, a term used to identify soldiers deployed overseas, is Trinity Repertory Company’s successful attempt to bring the war in Iraq home to Rhode Islanders that may not necessarily be directly affected by these events. The 90-minute play, created and written by Laura Kepley and D. Salem Smith, was created using almost 200 hours of recordings from 70 interviews.

Although the creators of Boots on the Ground chose to highlight almost 25 interviewees, all of the voices come through only five incredibly talented cast members-Anne Scurria, Stephen Thorne, Rachael Warren, Joe Wilson, Jr., and Richard Donelly. Whether portraying nerve wracked military spouses, war veterans, or a psychologist from the local VA hospital, the cast pulled off each and every personality with just the right amount of appropriate humor or emotion. The cast also held impeccable Rhode Island accents, especially since most of them are not originally from the Ocean State.

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