Gentlemen Volunteers

2015
“The production is an aesthetic triumph yet reaches beyond aestheticism to be full of humanity. It's a thing of beauty and a joy.” - The Scotsman

Pig Iron reprised one of its most acclaimed productions, GENTLEMEN VOLUNTEERS, to coincide with the company's 20th anniversary, as well as the 100th anniversary of the First World War.

A new cast brought this sweeping drama of American idealism and unlikely love affairs to life. Set against the chaos of World War I, GENTLEMEN VOLUNTEERS follows two American ambulance drivers from the idyllic campus of Yale University to the battlefields of France. An epic romance in the style of classic films such as Casablanca, GENTLEMEN VOLUNTEERS features live music and James Sugg's award-winning low-tech sound design.

December 10-27, 2015
Christ Church Neighborhood House

with

Lauren Ashley Carter*!
Michael Castillejos*
Bryant Martin*
Melissa Krodman
Scott Sheppard

Text by Suli Holum & Pig Iron
Sound Design by James Sugg
Original Lighting Design by Trey Lyford
Directed by Dan Rothenberg
Associate Directors: Quinn Bauriedel & Dito van Reigersberg
Assistant Director: Andalyn Young

* indicates member of Actors' Equity Associatiation
! Lauren Ashley Carter was replaced by Andalyn Young during the 2016 tour

A special benefit performance featuring the original cast was held December 19 and 20. Read more here.

GENTLEMEN VOLUNTEERS is performed in promenade. There is no fixed seating and the audience follows the action around the space. The number of tickets per show are limited. 

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  • Lauren Ashley Carter* and Bryant Martin* in Pig Iron's Gentlemen Volunteers
  • Michael Castillejos* in Pig Iron's Gentlemen Volunteers
  • Bryant Martin*, Melissa Krodman and Scott Sheppard in Pig Iron's Gentlemen Volunteers
  • Michael Castillejos* and Bryant Martin* in Pig Iron's Gentlemen Volunteers
  • Bryant Martin* in Pig Iron's Gentlemen Volunteers
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Press

"Did I call Pig Iron local? Not quite accurate; now they belong to the world."
Philadelphia Magazine on Gentlemen Volunteers
"the actors are also physical storytellers, which is what really makes this (and many other) Pig Iron productions special."
Broad Street Review on Gentlemen Volunteers
For most of its 20-year history, Pig Iron Theatre Company has remained stubbornly inventive, creating physically imaginative and sonically adventurous new work or offering surprisingly...
Metro Philly on Gentlemen Volunteers
"It’s a bit like the sensation of looking at a photograph album from long ago, and 'filling in the blanks' through interpretation and invention."
Philadelphia Magazine on Gentlemen Volunteers
"It’s stagecraft at its simplest and most elemental, and it lets the audience focus on the expressive actors and see how the war affects them."
DC Metro Theatre Arts on Gentlemen Volunteers

Blog

Love Letters from the Battlefield

12/7/15 in Gentlemen Volunteers

We've uncovered a plethora of World War I love letters. This one, sent to a lover along with a flower, is definitely worth reading.*  »

The Perfectly Preserved World War I Trench

11/30/15 in Gentlemen Volunteers

Atlas Obscura has a nifty article about a Belgian family who have been keeping Hill 62, a WWI bunker, preserved for nearly a century. »

Who were the Gentlemen Volunteers?

11/25/15 in Gentlemen Volunteers

The “Gentlemen Volunteers” was a term coined for the men and women who served with the American Field Service during the First World War. Many of the Gentlemen Volunteers were recent Ivy League graduates. »