“Duty” Wins State Historian Award
“Duty,” an original play about Garner men who served in Vietnam, was named as the N. C. Society of Historians’ multimedia award during its annual meeting at Davidson College on Oct. 12.
The play was written by Garner native Tim Stevens and directed by Broadway veteran Craig Schulman. Marty Long wrote two original songs for the show and wrote the score. The multimedia award was given for the written script, DVD, playbill and exhibit.
This was the fourth straight year that one of the plays produced by Stevens’ Show N Tell Ministries has taken the statewide NCSH’s multimedia award.
“Duty” featured the stories of the nine men from Garner who lost their lives in the Vietnam conflict and examined the lasting effects of the war. The production at the Garner Performing Arts Center included an exhibit of pictures and stories about more than 30 Garner men who survived the war.
“This play brought our panel face to face with the Vietnam War again and tears fell abundantly,” said the NCSH awards panel. “Throughout the DVD, we were mesmerized by the beautiful music from violin and piano, a narrator’s voice that was warm and inviting and amazing videography.
“Especially impressive were the photographs of the soldiers as they were as children, growing up, then in military uniforms. The segment breathed life back into them and we saw them as human beings NOT just names.”
The judges also were impressed with a bibliography that was included in the playbill. Stevens conducted more than 50 interviews during the project.
“It is evident that a lot of work went into this project … as is evident that it was a labor of love,” says the judges’ summary.
The judges also noted the effectiveness of a Vietnam exhibit in the GPAC lobby during the run of the play.
The exhibit “is a great addition to a memorable event as it chronicles the event while putting the emphasis on remembering the men who lost their lives during the Vietnam War, local men who are gone, but are not forgotten.”
The historical society, which was founded in 1941, awarded its multimedia awards in past years to Show N Tell’s “More Than A Name,” which is about Garner and World War II; “’87: One town, one school, one team, one title,” which is about Garner Senior High winning the state football championship in 1987; and “’68” Our finest hour,” which is about the merger of Garner Senior High and Garner Consolidated High in 1968.
Stevens also won the group’s award of excellence in 2018.
“Duty” is a part of what is expected to be a 12-part drama series about Garner’s history. The series began in 2014 with “War At Your Door,” which is about events in Garner at the close of the Civil War.
The plays are available for viewing on YouTube.
Stevens is the president and founder of Show N Tell, which is a 501 (c) III corporation that does events that glorify God and impact the community. Show N Tell also organizes an annual Garner Veterans Memorial Salute to the Troops in the spring and a wreath-laying and Gold Star tree at Lake Benson Park in December.
Show N Tell raised almost $100,000 for hurricane relief with concerts following Hurricanes Matthew and Florence.
Stevens is a retired sportswriter who has been inducted into four halls of fame, including the National High School Athletics Hall of Fame. He also is the author of the state’s high school record book and is a founder of the highly successful Broadway Voices program, which brings the top performers on Broadway to the GPAC for a series of concerts.
