I had the opportunity to experience the final dress rehearsal of “The Brain Trust,” a new play by local author and veteran, Bill Hager. As this paper has recently covered Bill and his journey I will only offer a brief synopsis of this new work and then try to express how it impacted me as not only a theater goer, but also on a human level.

Bill is the U.P. Veteran of the Year, a strong supporter of PAAC and The Vista Theater, and an author, speaker, and playwright. This new work of his is a telling of his story, his and three other lifelong friends and brothers in arms as they grow up together, their service in the Vietnam War, and the impact that service had on their lives and families after the war. It starts out lightheartedly with the four main characters Charley, Hugh, Lester, and Paul sitting playing cards and reminiscing about their youthful antics. We watch as they decide to make a pact, a lifelong pact to always be there for one another, sealed in their blood. The Brain Trust. We see flashbacks to their youth — snowball fights, wrestling and horsing around, going to camp with Gramps, dating, getting cars, getting into more serious mischief, and finally landing in jail and given the choice of enlisting and going to boot camp or staying in jail. Act I ends with them grudgingly agreeing to serve and leaving for boot camp.

Act II is where things get serious … very serious. There are still lighthearted moments to be sure, but Act II looks at the balance of their lives. The confusion about what the war was all about, whether what they did mattered, their less than warm reception when they returned to the world after serving, and the impacts of PTSD on the lives of their families and friends, not just how it affected them. We see wives and girlfriends wondering where the men they knew before went, why and how they changed, getting together to ask themselves how they can help the men. There is a powerful moment where the four main characters each deliver a monologue in uniform summing up their thoughts and emotions on their service.

I never personally served, in fact I fell into that small window of time just after Vietnam where young men didn’t even have to register for Selective Service. But my father proudly served in the Army in Korea and my two cousins both served during the Vietnam era. One served in military intelligence in the Pentagon and had a very quiet military experience. My cousin John served two tours as a Marine on the front lines in Vietnam…and frankly never came back, even though he was honorably discharged and physically lived in a small corner of Cleveland for the rest of his years until his death a couple months ago. John had serious PTSD — he spent his first year home locked in his room crocheting and painting. He had trouble holding a job. He had to fight the VA for almost 2 decades to get disability benefits. Back then we still called it “shell shock” and told people to wait it out and “man up” till it was over. He frankly never did recover. With this background, I watched “The Brain Trust” as it delivered its gut punches. It made me think about the high costs all soldiers pay. The time away, the horrors of war, the varying levels of support they gat on their return. We take our youngest and our best and send them into a meat grinder and wonder why they sometimes can’t put themselves back together again. It was moving and powerful. I could relate.

The four main characters, Charley played by Tom Pascoe, Hugh played by Sam Towers, Paul played by Alex Cowles, and Lester played by Austin Dupras have a LOT on their plates. They have to portray these characters from childhood to the present, sometimes having to switch from middle aged men telling stories to kids acting out those stories. All of them did admirable jobs with difficult acting assignments. No easy task for seasoned actors and daunting for the inexperienced, they all stepped up to handle their assignments like their real world counterparts did when they stepped up in their own lives and military service. Bravo.

There are some very interesting and strong performances among the supporting cast as well. Paul Olson, a regular contributor at the Vista, delivers a good performance as Gramps, the crusty and lovable old man who tried to shepherd these wild youths through their mischievous lives. Melissa Neil plays dual roles as Wendy, Charley’s girlfriend and as Cheryl, Charley’s daughter in the ending scenes. Her acting style is very natural and well suited to the roles she was given. Rosie Pietila also had dual roles as Hugh’s mom with her bar of soap for his mouth at the ready and as the Nurse in several scenes. Again, a very comfortable and natural performance. Tom Laitinen, a longtime veteran of theaters here and all over the country, turns in a great portrayal of Charley’s dad, forcing the boys to make their life-changing jailhouse decision to serve.

Brining a new work to the stage is an interesting challenge. On one hand, you have no preconceived notions of how the characters should be played, no history of “that’s how we’ve always done it.”

On the other … you have no history to draw from, no template to base your directorial choices on. Fun and challenging for a director. A real challenge for someone helming a show for the first time. Aiden Pietila is no stranger to the stage, having been in productions at the Vista and in “Rent” in Iron Mountain. He did a good job shaping the show, trying to establish the template for those who produce it later. As I said, no easy task for a seasoned director, but Aiden did a great job as a first timer.

The Vista serves its community well. They frequently produce new works by local playwrights and offer opportunities that other theaters may not for new actors and directors. Their choice to produce this show is admirable. It makes important statements about veterans, our treatment of them, their struggles and triumphs … life in general. There is new life at The Vista. The current board is very proactive and they are constantly involved in the community and creating new events and shows. It is good to see. They have a good balance between creatives and business minds in control and are making great strides to preserve PAAC and The Vista Theater.

This show will touch you. Young, old, veteran or not. I recommend it unreservedly. It is worth your time and your support.

And I think all of us can learn from this deeply intimate look into the lives of the four locals known as “The Brain Trust.” The show is family-friendly, the language and situations are well-presented and the language sanitized enough for audiences of all ages.

“The Brain Trust” is presented at 7 p.m. today and Saturday, at 2 p.m. Sunday and at 7 p.m. May 23-24 and 2 p.m. May 25. More information and tickets can be found at www.vistatheater.org. Tickets are also available at Snowbound Books in Marquette, Midtown Bakery in Negaunee, and Rare Earth Goods in Ishpeming

Martin Martello is a local businessman and a former director and actor.