An Unholy Union of Domestic Violence and Military Combat

Program Facilitators Pictured L to R: Carl DeSantis, Vietnam combat veteran and Edison faculty member in communication, Barbara Holman, Executive Director of the Family Abuse Shelter of Miami County; and Tristan Weis, Iraq combat medic.

Domestic violence starts the story, and the horror of combat adds the second chapter with the third and final one resulting in unspeakable acts.

The one-act play entitled Choices will be performed at 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Edison State Community College on Tuesday, November 10 in the Robinson Theater at the Piqua Campus.

An additional performance will be held on Friday, November 13 at 7:30 at the Mayflower Arts Center on Main Street in Troy. Admission is free to all performances.

Adrian Miller, a graduate of The Ohio State University with a degree in theatre, stars as one of the nameless 22 veterans who kill themselves each day in the U.S.

Domestic violence rears its ugly head off stage as Edison faculty Debra Williamson and Thomas Martinez play a couple in a dysfunctional relationship where the woman and her son, played by Owen Swigert, are the recipients of violence.

Pianist and Edison professor William Loudermilk will present selections prior to the play, including one he wrote especially for Choices entitled “Nobody Cares.”

Area theatregoers know Jayson Grigsby as the actor who has played many roles skillfully in Shakespeare’s works produced at Edison as well as more modern fare. This time he is the director, using his extensive knowledge of theatre through his hands-on experience as well as his formal education and training.

Choices was written by Morganzie Green, a native of Colorado and an AT&T employee in the Minneapolis area. She holds a degree in theatre from Brigham Young University. Green indicates that it is her hope that the short, one-act play “calls attention to two pressing issues in the U.S.: veteran suicide and domestic violence.”

Following the performances, executive director of the Family Abuse Shelter of Miami County, Barbara Holman; Vietnam combat veteran and Edison faculty member in communication, Carl DeSantis; and Tristan Weis, Iraq combat medic, will facilitate a discussion with the audience on the responsibilities Americans have in insuring that these issues are addressed appropriately.

Choices is being funded by the Miami County Foundation, The Alliance for Employee Growth, Inc. and Edison State Community College. Only those ages 14 and older will be allowed admission to this one-act play

For more information, contact Dr. Vivian Blevins at vblevins@edisonohio.edu or 937-778-3815.