Library Of Congress Hosts World War I Solo Show

On May 26th, at 2 pm, Douglas Taurel, actor, and creator of the acclaimed solo show The American Soldier will perform his second one man show An Americans Soldier's Journey Home at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. The performance will be held in the Library's Coolidge Auditorium, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street SE, Washington, DC at 2pm.

This year will mark 100 years when the Armistice was signed in 1918, ending the first World War. The play is based on the life of Irving Greenwald, a soldier from WWI who was part of the Lost Battalion and whose diary is preserved by the Library's Veterans History Project and is now on display in the exhibition Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I. This will be part of the Library of Congress's commemoration of the centennial of the First World War.

Congress created the Veterans History Project in 2000 to collect, preserve and make accessible the firsthand remembrances of America's war veterans from World War I through the more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. After learning about Taurel's critically-acclaimed show, The American Soldier, Library staff commissioned Taurel to create an original presentation based on its collections. The play is 85% of diary of Private Irving Greenwald exact words, with Taurel taking 465 days of his diary entries and condensing them into a moving and thought-provoking 55 minute play.

Taurel explained,"As I worked on the WWI project, I decided to focus only on Irving Greenwald's diary because of all of his details of the war, and of the deep love he had for his wife. It brought me to tears at times."

I stand with bated breath waiting for the explosion of the shell. I imagine the toll of injury and death it takes. The cost of it. The futility of it. The war will never be won on the field of battle. Why not end it all and spare men and women. - Irving Greenwald

Taurel's television and film credits include "Mr. Robot," "The Americans," "Blue Bloods," "Person of Interest," "The Following," "Damages," "Nurse Jackie," "The Cobbler" (starring Adam Sandler and Dustin Hoffman) and the upcoming The Kindergarten Teacher (starring Maggie Gyllenhaal).

WEBSITE: www.TheAmericanSoldierSoloShow.com

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