Renegade Stage presents military drama ‘Beyond Glory’
The members of Renegade Stage wants you to know they produce more than comedy.
Having solidified a base of support from their Reel Laughs and Huskies Without Leashes improv comedy shows at various venues around town, including MJ’s on Jefferson and the Neon Movies, the troupe offers a refreshing change of pace by presenting Stephen Lang’s military drama “Beyond Glory” March 13-15 at the Dayton Metro Library.
Adapted from Larry Smith’s book “Beyond Glory: Medal of Honor Heroes in Their Own Words,” the play provides a vivid examination of courage, duty and humil- ity centered on eight veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam detailing first
HOW TO GO
What: “Beyond Glory”
Where: Bassani Theatre of the Dayton Metro Library, 215 E. Third St., Dayton
When: March 13-15; 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday
Cost: $10
Tickets: Visit renegadestage.simpletix.com
FYI: Upcoming Renegade Stage shows include: Improv Comedy at MJ’s on Jefferson (March 21 and April 18) and Reel Laughs vs. The Return of the Jedi at the Dayton Metro Library’s Bassani Theatre (May 30) hand accounts of the actions which resulted in each of them receiving the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award.
Written as a one-man play, “Beyond Glory” will be per- formed by three actors: Ben Rinehart as Lewis Millet, Hector Cafferata and Daniel Inouye; Fernando Romero as Clarence Sasser and Vernon Baker; and Renegade founder Don Hurst as John Finn, James Stockdale and Nick Bacon.
“This play speaks to me and feels real,” said Hurst, a retired Navy veteran whose grandfather was a World War II Navy veteran. “Reading this script tugged at my heart, especially when I think about my grandfather’s experiences. Whenever he spoke of his time in the war, he became young again, a guy full of energy. It blew my mind that such a simple dude went out and did some crazy things in his life. I always wanted to see him in that element, to hang out with the 21-year-old grandpa and see what that was like. Read- ing this script reminded me of the many stories he told and I really miss those conversations with him.
“And as a veteran, I feel this script does a good job of setting the tone for what I felt the military was like,” he said.
“Unlike certain war movies like ‘Saving Private Ryan’ or ‘Black Hawk Down’ which tend to sensationalize patriotism and (service), ‘Beyond Glory’ really does a good job of not holding anything back in its (depiction) of how these eight veterans were affected by war based on their differ- ent personalities,” added Rinehart, whose grandfather was a World War II Army engineer. “Also, transitioning from comedy into drama has actually been more natural than I thought. Being totally vulnerable to the audi- ence has been (eye-opening). Instead of a punch line at the end, you’re looking for a different emotion.”
Renegade, which launched last year, returns to their comedic specialties soon, but Hurst says he’d like the troupe to do more plays. In fact, he hopes to stage the local premiere of Keith Huff ’s contemporary drama “A Steady Rain” in the fall.
“Renegade as a group is an independent spirit,” he said. “We’re going to do things we feel moved to do. We’re always going to stretch ourselves. We’re not very content to do one thing. We’re always pushing ourselves for something bigger and better. ‘Beyond Glory’ allows us to stretch acting-wise and storywise in order to do something new.”