Every generation is affected by war and its aftermath. 'Letter from Italy, 1944: A New American Oratorio' is a new one hour documentary narrated by Meryl Streep and directed by five-time Emmy Award winning filmmaker Karyl Evans (Yale Fellow) about the creation of an oratorio written by two sisters about their father, Dr. John K. Meneely Jr., a doctor trained at Yale Medical School (1941) and a medic in the elite 10th Mountain Division during World War II, who returned home from Italy with post-traumatic stress disorder. The film explores the history of the 10th Mountain Division, the effects of war on a soldier and on his relationships with his wife, Delia Page Marshall, a nurse trained at Yale School of Nursing (1941), his family, as well as the creative process of producing the oratorio about his life.
Grammy-nominated composer Sarah Meneely-Kyder and her sister, noted poet Nancy Meneely, both Connecticut residents, have written the compelling two hour oratorio in collaboration with the Greater Middletown Chorale's Artist Director Joseph D'Eugenio. The film follows the creative process of writing the oratorio's lyrics, which are based on Dr. Meneely's poetic letters home from war, writing the music, staging of the oratorio by theater director Sheila Garvey, as well as the rehearsal process with the Greater Middletown Chorale (now called the “GMChorale”) and the soloists including tenor Jack Anthony Pott and Metropolitan Opera soprano Patricia Schuman. The film uses archival images and interviews with the creators, singers, three World War II 10th Mountain Division veterans, historians, audience members, community participants, and other veterans to weave a compelling story about a veteran and his family and the way a shared artistic experience can help heal the trauma of war.
This special on-campus screening will be September 21 at 4pm at the Whitney Humanities Center, 53 Wall Street, New Haven. The event is open to the public, and sponsored by the Association of Yale Alumni in Medicine, Yale Veterans Association, Yale Student Veterans Council and Jonathan Edwards College.
A panel discussion will follow the screening at 5:15 p.m. in the same location. The following panelists are expected:
The screening is open to the public, and will be followed by a panel discussion.
Karyl Evans
- Moderator: Karyl Evans - Filmmaker
- For the first time in public talking about the film chronicling their father's wartime experience and the writing of their oratorio - sisters:
- Nan Meneely - poet and lyricist
- Sarah Meneely-Kyder - composer
- Medical Experts:
- Laurie Harkness, Ph.D. - Founder and Director, Errera Community Care Center, VA Hospital, West Haven, CT
- Alice Forrester, Ph.D. - Executive Director, Clifford Beers Clinic, New Haven, CT
- Hadar Lubin, M.D., Co-Director, Post Traumatic Stress Center, New Haven, CT; Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine
- Veterans:
- Amy Otzel
- Adrian Bonenberger (10th Mountain Division - Afghanistan)
- Art Therapist:
- Evie Lindemann, LMFT, ATR-BC, ATCS, Associate Professor/Clinical Coordinator, Masters of Art Therapy Program, Albertus Magnus College
CPTV aired a screening of the documentary in June, read the press release from them here.