Tracers at Madison Street Theatre

Six enlisted men move from training to combat and finally, to the struggle of putting the broken pieces back together in the aftermath of Vietnam. Tracers portrays the reality of ground warfare and its effects, avoiding Hollywood glorification of the fighting experience. Penned by John DiFusco and eight other returning Vietnam veterans, the play deals with free-fire zones, trip wires, drugs, body bags, rat-infested bunkers and the ever-present stench of death. The meditation on violence becomes a plea for responsibility and caution, inspecting what happens when conscience and reason become warped by orders and national purpose. The harrowing drama leaves a mark at Madison Street Theatre in Oak Park.