East Texas Entertainment

By STEWART SMITH
Entertainment Writer

How long must a child remain obedient to their father's wishes? At what point must a father finally relinquish control of his children's lives? David Crawford, a professor of theatre at Tyler Junior College explores these questions with the debut of his original stage play next week.

Set in the summer of 1945, "Moonlight Serenade" follows four siblings as they return home to Tyler from their involvement in World War II only to find their father has already planned their lives. Crawford said the play is based loosely on his mother and her family. Crawford said his mother had served in the Women Marines while her brothers flew bombing missions in B-52s and stormed the beaches at Normandy, yet still came home to their father expecting them to live a life he had already mapped out.

"So many of the young men and women left for war as teenagers but they came home battle-worn and battle-scarred veterans. They left as children but came home adults," Crawford said. "However, parents at home were anxious to forget the war years and pick up and carry on with their children's lives - people who weren't children anymore."

Millie Whiting, one of the play's central characters, is closely based on Crawford's mother.

"She was stationed during the war in New York City and has had taste of possibility," he said. "She has had access to the world where women have much more opportunity than they did in Texas. In 1945 some say women didn't have much in the way of opportunity, but in New York and California they did. You even had women in management positions. So, an officer in the Woman Marines is not going to be happy just to sit back and fold up and be a normal Texas woman anymore."

Crawford, who is also playing the role of the father, said he wanted to explore the minds and hearts of people who found themselves in those kinds of situations.

"The question that was most important to me was, what is the impact of what these young men went through, especially the brothers," Crawford said. "These were grown men and they were still expected to bow to their father's will. I have a son who is 29 right now and I cannot imagine him coming home and doing what I want him to. So just the idea of coming out of war where you are a pilot in a B-52, you are the soul authority of a crew, you are making life and death decisions every day, facing death every single day and come home and say, 'Yes, dad, I will work at the Five and Dime.'"

In talking with his mother about her stories that inspired the play, as well as with his students over the years, Crawford said he realized that familial problems never really change. What is common today was common centuries ago.

"There is nothing new under the sun. We simply have different toys," he said.

"We have the same problems today as we did in the 1800s, the 1700s, it just keeps going back. For the last 30 years I've had kids come in here majoring in courses because their parents told them to, and they're in college. I've told kids all along, you've got to live your own life, not your parents' life."

Tickets for "Moonlight Serenade" are on sale at the TJC box office.

Box office hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. For reservations or production information, call 903-510-2212.