Kent State:
A Requiem

   New play, Nov. 17-20

On May 4, 1970, the Ohio National Guard opened fire on a group of college students on the Kent State University campus.

Some 13 seconds and 67 shots later, nine students were wounded and four were killed. Known as "The Day the War Came Home," the Kent State shootings changed the course of history and ultimately signified the end of the Vietnam War.

Theatre Columbus State is proud to present “Kent State: A Requiem” on Nov. 17-20. The play, by J. Gregory Payne, PhD., remembers the lives of the four lost students, examines the incidents that led to the shootings, and asks many still unanswered questions. (story continues after video)

Megan Jones, who portrays witness Mary Vecchio, says “I feel I have not even begun my life yet, so I can’t imagine for the students how that feels because there is so much ahead for them. (And I can’t imagine) how it feels for their family and friends to know it was stopped at that time.”

Director and faculty member Frank Barnhart says, “Many of us took a trip to Kent State to walk on the ground where the shootings actually happened which also gave us new insight to actually walk in the shoes of the people whose lives who we are portraying on stage.”

Student actor Vince Reese, who portrays victim Jeff Miller, was among the cast who made the trek, “It was, I don’t know how to put this, resonating I guess, to be where they were shot.  So to be in the place where it happened was very breathtaking to be honest,” he says.

Performances are November 17-20 at 8 p.m. and November 18 at 3 p.m. in the Nestor Hall Auditorium. ADMISSION IS FREE!