March 7, 1995
At a time when the official government policy regarding gays and lesbians in the military is "don't ask, don't tell," SF State communications professor and playwright Lee Jenkins' play, "A Credit to Her Country," decidedly tells all.
In a room lit by buzzing florescent lights, a cast of seven warms up: a small military unit marches in formation and perfects sound-offs, about faces and company halts.
The play, a series of vignettes about lesbians who served in the military, officially opens Talespinners Theater's twentieth season in San Francisco on Armed Forces Day, May 20.
However, before its official opening, Talespinners' brings the play to the SF State new Humanities Building Auditorium (HUM 133) today.
"I think (Armed Forces Day) will be a good moment to do the play," Jenkins said.
Women who served are often forgotten on military holidays, she said.
In order to research her play, Jenkins spent two years finding and interviewing lesbian lieutenants, captains, officers and privates. According to Jenkins, some had served in silence for as many as 14 years.
That silence was broken by women like Zoe Dunning and Donna Jackson, both subjects in the play, who spoke up for their rights to live outside the closet and keep their jobs.
Jenkins said at first it was difficult contacting women, but with input from groups like the National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce and the American Legion, and by attending rallies and parades, she was able to gather the oral histories of 22 lesbians who had served.
Lee Miller, who served in the Army from 1956-58, was one of the women Jenkins interviewed.
According to Miller, the play "gives voice to the non-notorious, (those) who were silent about their identities.
"Every character is real. Each one is a person who had a Band-Aid on her mouth," she said.
For Jenkins, the process of writing a play based on oral histories was liberating.
"It allows me to tell other people's stories in an authentic way. It lets me give voice to people who haven't been heard before," she said.
Jenkins hopes the play will educate as well as entertain people about a part of history often lost or overlooked.
"People don't know these stories about women in the military, let alone lesbians," she said.
Although no specific theater space has been confirmed for the opening, Talespinners' Artistic Director Richard Talavera hoped to secure a space in the Presidio for the opening.
The first staged reading of "A Credit to Her Country" was given at Theater Rhinoceros in San Francisco, but Jenkins hopes her play will "tour all over" the country.
Aside from SF State, the play will tour Stockton, San Jose and Santa Cruz before its official opening in May.
"It's important that we're taking (the play) out of (Theater) Rhino and into the main arena," Talavera said.
In addition to "A Credit to Her Country," Jenkins has written two plays and two performance pieces based on oral histories.
She is currently working on a performance project based on the histories of women commemorated at the Women's Building in San Francisco.