Inherent Resolve is a play about the aftermath of a medal hunt operation gone wrong in Afghanistan, 2012. After 8 years, the 18 year olds who witnessed the mission are brought back to the limelight as broken adults, to perform gratitude once more and back up their Major. Being in the room together for the first time in a while opened the Pandora’s box of pain and guilt.

This play was written for the occasion and took on many forms during the process. The one constant was the existence of projections during the whole show, which influenced the design and took us on the road of exploration with different materials and their behavior as we layer them and cast images and light on them. I wanted to create a space that is ephemeral and ever changing, as we are dealing with many peoples versions of the same event. The boxes covered with layers of visions, forms and body parts would be moved around into different configurations by the same soldiers whose memories created them, to take us into different settings of their collective journey.

Written by : Richard Wesley

Directed by : Bob McGrath

Costume Design : Brynne Oster-Bainnson

Lighting design : Christopher Wong

Photo : Ella Bromblin, Nadja Antic

The Shubert Theatre, NYU, 2022