GOODNIGHT LBJ is the story of Rick, a Vietnam vet haunted by nightmares. But Rick's time in the country he and his friends called 'Six Flags Over Nothing' was passed in a non-combat zone, where his duties consisted of locking up GI's who'd tested positive for heroin use. Still, his time in-country showed him the war—the costs and the psychological gnawing of being in a dangerous place—and his own healing process has brought him to a place where he must discuss with us the most potent of his nightmares. For Rick, the war's lesson was that pain will continue as long as society subscribes to the Myth of Dominance. His nightmares are that his children (and the children of the men he served with) will subscribe to the same broken value set. Rick is also haunted by the knowledge that each passing day removes more and more of the common points of speech and music that carried the shared passions of the Vietnam era generation. In GOODNIGHT LBJ, Rick asks us to join him in the task of raising a new generation that cannot be seduced by a culture of warmaking.
GOODNIGHT LBJ was written by Dan Kinch in collaboration with Vietnam Veteran Rick Randig, who performs in this one-man show. The production was directed by Ronnie Garvey. We've presented the play a number of times since 2001 when it premiered. We're in the process of redoing some of it to make it more pertinent. We coaxed tears from people when we've performed the play, and the piece is short enough to allow for lots of discussion afterwards.For booking information, e-mail us at kairos_co@hotmail.com
