An insightful look into a day in American history that should not be forgotten.
Imagine turning on the TV on a regular Monday night—December 1, 1969—only to realize that your future is no longer your own. In a matter of hours, the U.S. government will flippantly assign you a low draft number, assuring you’ll be called to fight a war in a country you can’t even locate on a map.
First Day in December is more than a historical drama; it is a visceral exploration of the moment a generation’s innocence was lost to the luck of the draw. It is a haunting tribute to “a day that changed our lives forever.”
Set in a fraternity house at the University of Pennsylvania, First Day in December captures the high-stakes pressure cooker of the first-ever Vietnam draft lottery. What begins as a 21st birthday celebration for fraternity president Mike Harris, quickly descends into a night of desperation as the live radio broadcast begins. 366 capsules, each one containing a different birth date, are drawn over an excruciating 90 minutes to determine the order America’s young men will be called to fight in Vietnam. As the young men listen for their own birthdays, they also begin to turn on each other.
A wonderful story that weaves so much history into a tapestry for our humanity.
As an 18-year-old freshman, you have your whole life in front of you. Then, you walk into your frat house on an ordinary Monday night to see everyone gathered around a radio listening to some Army Colonel assign draft numbers, one by one, to dates he’s pulling out of a large bin. It’s the first draft since World War ll, a way of leveling the playing field, to determine the order America’s young men will be inducted to fight in the Vietnam war.
Presented by award-winning director, Michael Mizerany, First Day in December is gripping chronicle of patriotism, protest, and the brothers we leave behind.
Why this play? While there are many plays, documentaries and films about the Vietnam war, nothing has been produced about the draft lottery itself, which determined how young men were selected for the draft.
On the 50th anniversary of the draft lottery, it all came rushing back to me. On one side of the room, many of my brothers were getting drunk, celebrating their high draft numbers. On the other side, some of my friends were sobbing with the realization of getting shipped off to Vietnam before the year was out. I remember my friend Mike saying, “Who knew the day we were born would become a death sentence?” The contrast of lucky-versus-doomed inspired me to re-capture that night on the stage. Hence, First Day in December, a new play about the Vietnam draft was born. It is a tribute to all the young men that went to war and came back, and to those that returned in flag-covered coffins.
I lived through the Vietnam war, I marched, and I protested in Washington, but until this play, I never knew how young men were actually selected for the draft. The play is deeply moving and shows how strong the bond of friendships are, and aren’t … when people are faced with the highest of stakes.
The question offered little choice in 1969.
Heterosexual men wouldn’t think twice about announcing “I’m gay” to avoid risking their lives in an unpopular war. But in 1969, admitting to being gay presented a risky proposition. As one Vietnam draftee recalls, “If the guys in my town found out you were gay, you’d have been better off cozying up to the Vietcong.”
It’s just one of the themes explored in First Day in December, a drama about the Vietnam draft, opening March 5th at the Diversionary Theater in San Diego.
When Richard Nixon expanded the draft in 1969 a televised lottery was held to determine the order in which young men, aged 19-26, would be drafted to Vietnam. Broadcast on the CBS radio and television network, the country endured an excruciating two-hour process as dates were put into blue capsules, then extracted one by one from a big, glass bowl. After that night, draftees with the lowest numbers would engage in a series of techniques to make themselves mentally or physically unfit for war — from unwanted marriages and children to self-mutilation.
One technique that would work, but was scarcely tried, was admitting to being gay — for at that time, homosexuality was still considered a mental disorder. If you were already in the military and were “outed”, you were dishonorably discharged. Moreover, it was published in the newspaper. As one former platoon leader told me, “The military humiliated you to project their image.”
Set in a fraternity house at the University of Pennsylvania, the play explores how five young men are forced to face their own mortality. But, as the play’s characters realize their lives have been changed forever, they also begin to turn on each other. Director Michael Mizerany, founder of Compulsion Dance and Theater commented, “This play re-enacts the December 1969 lottery in real time, a date in history that has never been the subject of a play, film or documentary. We hope to bring renewed awareness to what it’s like to go up against an edict from the US Government.”
The play really flows, dramatically and verbally. I couldn’t stop reading it once I started, which is the real test.
For centuries, storytellers have used humor to lighten the mood of a play or film that deals with uncomfortable, even brutal topics. World War II, an event that killed millions of people, inspired life in a German prison camp in the hit television series, Hogan’s Heroes. Sam Shepard, known for his heart-wrenching stories of dysfunctional families, gets his audience laughing in key dramatic moments during Buried Child, which focuses on the family’s decision to use their back yard as a cemetery.
It’s a technique not lost on modern playwrights that tell stories of how the Vietnam war impacted the lives of citizens in Southeast Asia and the United States. One of the starkest examples is seen in Qui Nguyen’s comedy-drama Vietgone, a classic tale of boy-meets-girl set in a Vietnam war refugee relocation camp inside Middle America. As the story unfolds, Vietgone manages to get some big belly laughs as it explores gut-wrenching topics of what refugees’ experience when a brutal war ousts them from their homeland.
In my play, First Day in December opening at Diversionary on March 6th, five fraternity brothers at the University of Pennsylvania gather together to listen to Nixon’s draft lottery, which use birth dates to determine the order in which they will be drafted to Vietnam. Over an excruciating 90 minutes, the guys listen for their own birthday to be announced, in between fights, arguments and a fair number of jokes about how to avoid the draft.
The first crisis of the play erupts when one of the brothers uses self-mutilation in an attempt to secure a draft exemption. While bloody and painful, the guys can’t help but find humor in their fraternity brother’s creative approach.
First Day in December’s director Michael Mizerany, comments: “Humor is one of our coping mechanisms for dealing with life’s many perils, especially those that seemingly appear out of nowhere, as the draft lottery did for thousands of young American men. In the case of Vietnam, 50 years of distance provides a bit of a safety net for finding humor in war. And – you need a bit of comic relief to get an audience through 90 minutes of heart-wrenching drama.”
Shane Hennessey (Chad) is thrilled to be telling this story with this amazing team! Solidly in his villain era, you may have seen him around town this past year in 89 Carson Junction Road (Archer) with Compulsion Dance & Theater, The Wulfeater (Officer Archibald) at the Tenth Ave Arts Center, or Karaoke Dreams (Rob) with Blindspot Collective. Thank you, as always, to his friends and family for their love and support and this incredible cast, crew, and creative team for this experience.
Ski Gozo (Rory) is a San Diego based theater artist excited to make their return to acting. As a Lin-Manuel Miranda Family Fellow, their latest theatrical credit was as director at the Public Theater pitching Cristian Guerrero’s The Five O’Clock Mambo. Their multi-hyphenate approach to the collaborative spirit of theater derives from their training at the California Institute of the Arts, Grossmont College, CSU Long Beach and the National Theater Institute at the O’Neill. Favorite past roles include Ernst Robel in Spring Awakening and Albert Einstein in Picasso at the Lapin Agile. To learn more check out their website https://skigozo.wixsite.com/skigozo
Benjamin Monts (he/him) (David) is a local actor, playwright and lyricist. Monts is so proud to be joining the cast after many readings of the show over the years and can’t wait to share this story. Previous credits include Diesel in West Side Story (Teatro San Diego) Aaron in First Date (OnStage Playhouse) Simon in Hay Fever (Coronado Playhouse) as well as various characters in his 11 original plays over the 2024 calendar year during his self produced Play Reading Series Play On at Tenth Avenue Arts Center and OnStage Playhouse. @benjamin.monts
Kevin Phantom (Tim) was most recently seen in 89 Carson Junction Road as Hank with Compulsion & Dance Theatre. Some of his notable roles are Dennis in Merry Me, Dennis Branigan, (OnWord Theatre), Jack/Rapunzel’s Prince; Into the Woods (New Village Arts), Brad Majors; The Rocky Horror Show (OB Playhouse), Tanner; White (Scripps Ranch Theatre). He has received awards for his performances as J Pierrepont Finch in How to Succeed in Business… and Johnny in American Idiot (Patio Playhouse). Kevin extends his love and support to his LGBTQIA+ and his Vietnamese community. Follow his socials @kevphantom
Amy (Linda) is extremely honored and beyond grateful to be sharing her love for the stage with all of you! Some of her favorite/recent credits include “89 Carson Junction Road” (Shelia), “Head Over Heels” (Gynecia),“Nunsense” (Reverend Mother), “Vanities” (Joanne), and “Lucky Stiff” (Rita La Porta). As her love for performing is ever growing and flowing, Amy is currently in the process of applying to Grad School to pursue her MFA in Acting! Amy is incredibly honored to be apart of her second production with Compulsion and would like to thank her family, friends, and past educators for ALWAYS supporting her! She would, also, like to thank Micheal for being an incredible director to work with and for presenting her with this amazing opportunity! Enjoy the show!
Robert (Mike) is so excited to be part of this production! He was lucky enough to be in some of the early readings and is very grateful to be part of getting it onstage. His previous roles include Scotty (Evil Dead), Aaron (First Date), and J Finch (Puffs). When he isn’t onstage he is challenging his siblings to eat the most burgers in one year, listening to the Dungeon Crawler Carl audio books, or getting lost on a hike because he refuses to look at maps. He would like to thank his wife for supporting him through the rehearsals and life in general. He hopes you enjoy the show!
Sofia Scafidi (Linda U/S): Sofia is thrilled to be working on her first show with Compulsion Dance and Theater. In San Diego, she has recently appeared in Macbeth at the SWC Shakespeare Festival (Lady Macbeth) and Barbecue at Coronado Playhouse (Barbara). Born and raised in San Diego, Sofia developed a passion for live theatre and eventually went on to attend the esteemed Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre (Class of 2023) in New York City, where she was professionally trained in the Meisner technique. Other credits; Men on Boats (John Wesley Powell), The Laramie Project (Romaine Patterson), Arcadia (Thomasina).
Peter Armado (Rory U/S) is excited to reunite with Compulsion Dance & Theatre and make his debut with Comun!cado. He previously appeared as Mayfield in Wally & His Lover Boys, written and directed by Michael Mizerany. Other credits include: Ride the Cyclone (Mischa), Loud Fridge Theatre’s SLAY Burlesque Series (Lil Chaotic), The Rocky Horror Show (Rocky), Next to Normal (Henry), and Spring Awakening (Melchior). Peter also appears in the upcoming short film Zaddy, written by Mizerany and co-directed by Mizerany and Travis Land.
Richard Fouts (Playwright) is excited to re-unite with actors Robert Coe and Ben Monts in this San Diego premiere of First Day in December following the play’s sold-out premiere in San Francisco. Fouts is also the author of Daughters of Silence (about teen pregnancy), Summer Me, Winter Me (about euthanasia) and several comedies including Fast Moving Consumer Goods which had its San Diego premiere in 2020. He would like to thank the entire cast and crew of this production of First Day with a special shout-out to award-winning director Michael Mizerany who did a magnificent job with the play. This play is dedicated to the men who fought and died in the Vietnam War.
Michael Mizerany (Director) is artistic director of Compulsion Dance & Theater and an award winning dancer, choreographer and playwright.. Some of Michael’s plays: The Big D, Wally & His Lover Boys, Marry Me, Dennis Branigan, A Twisted Bargain, Blood Moon and Die Already! His plays have been produced in San Diego, Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles. He’s written several short films including Deadfall (currently streaming on the Fawsome app.) and Zaddy. As a director, a few of his favorite projects include Head Over Heels (Coronado Playhouse), The Rocky Horror Show (OB Playhouse) and Shockheaded Peter (Cygnet Theater).