Behind every war are the personal lives of our soldiers and their loved ones. To commemorate the sacrifices of all our veterans and their families, Douglas Taurel is set to perform his award-winning solo performance, The American Soldier, in November on Veterans Day. He will showcase his talents at the Doudna Fine Arts Center in Illinois on November 3, then in New Jersey at Monmouth University on November 11. Finally, on November 17, at Kent State University in Ohio, he was given the honor of stepping in for Stephen Lang’s one-man play Beyond Glory with his one-man show, The American Soldier.
Douglas‘ play is composed of monologues covering the Revolutionary War and the most current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. On a rainy Memorial Day evening in 2015, Douglas first performed the play for eight audience members on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. He thought it would be a one-time performance. Since then, The American Soldier has performed in 34 cities, including twice at the John F. Kennedy Center of Performing Arts, twice Off-Broadway, The Library of Congress, and even the National Headquarters of the American Legion, to mention a few. Douglas was also nominated for the Amnesty International Award when he performed his play in Scotland.
Douglas adapted the play from reading and researching hundreds of actual letters soldiers had sent to their families and countless conversations he had with our veterans’ families. The play offers a perspective into a veteran’s mind and explains why some of them and their families struggle as they try to adjust to life after the military. However, the play also exhibits the beauty of the military and, more importantly, the brotherhood and love that soldiers share for each other.
The play’s most remarkable aspect is that Douglas Taurel is, in fact, not a veteran and has never been in the military. Many spectators and members of the military community find it hard to believe he has never donned the uniform. When the United States was getting deeply involved in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he started reading stories about how soldiers and their families were hurting emotionally and financially. It was what inspired him to write, perform and produce the play. “I had a hard time reading these stories and felt there need to be an awareness,” Douglas said.
Even though he first performed the play eight years ago, the message is now more critical than ever as the country seems more polarized. The American Soldier appeals to audiences on both sides of the political aisle. It is a work of theater that aims to increase awareness of the experiences and struggles of our soldiers and their families and works hard to honor them.
“It is not only a play that shares the military experience and the effects of war but also our American story. These important stories are the glue that can bring us back together,” Douglas said.
Douglas has made countless film and television appearances. He most recently portrayed Joe Petito in the upcoming Lifetime movie, The Gabby Petito Story. Directed by Thora Birch, the film is based on the short life and tragic death of Gabby Petito. It premiered on the Lifetime Movie Network on October 1, 2022.
He also wrote, directed, and starred in Landing Home, another veteran-themed project that earned him Best Director at the GI Film Festival and a nomination for Best Actor. The TV series also earned Best Drama from the GI Film Festival, Wings of Honor Festival, and the New Jersey Film Festival. The Library of Congress commissioned him to write, create and perform his second solo show, An American Soldier’s Journey Home. It commemorates the ending of the First World War and tells the story of Irving Greenwald, a soldier in the 308 Regiment and part of the Lost Battalion. He has performed the play twice at the Library of Congress and the Hoboken Museum.
