NEW YORK - Playwright Howard Emanuel is shining a spotlight on some of our nation’s heroes, our veterans. In honor of November marking Veterans Month, a reading of his new play, "Sundogs" is now available for streaming.

What You Need To Know

  • A virtual reading of a new play "Sundogs" dives into the complexities of serving our country and honors veterans of the military
  • The play is being put on to benefit the not for profit organization "Stop Soldier Suicide"

  • The cast includes Armie Hammer, Jenn Gambatese and Jordan Bridges, whose famous actors father and uncle, Beau and Jeff Bridges both served in the US Coast Guard

"'Sundogs' is about a group of US Army Sergeants on the eve of their redeployment. They're attempting to create meaning in a world that is filled with chaos," said playwright Howard Emanuel.
 
For Emanuel, the play comes from a very personal place.

"I was in the hospital for a good four month period with a severe flare up of ulcerative colitis. And I had to declare medical bankruptcy. I had no job opportunities, things were desperate and desolate. Then a friend that I went to school with Army Staff Sergeant Glen H. Stivison, and, we were on a Peewee Football team together, [he] died in an IED explosion in Afghanistan in 2009. And so in an attempt to create meaning and find purpose through all of that I set about with this sort of cry of the heart," said Emanuel.


"Sundogs" features Armie Hammer, Jenn Gambatese and Jordan Bridges, whose father and uncle actors Beau and Jeff Bridges both served in the U.S. Coast Guard.

"There's so much that we take for granted in this country and chief among them is the sacrifice that the men and women in our armed forces are doing on a day to day basis. I think that particularly mental health within the military and the larger issue of mental health in our nation is something that we don't take seriously enough. And I think it's work like this, that Howard has done, um, that can start to help motivate that conversation," said Bridges.
 
And Emanuel's play is not just raising awareness it’s also raising funds to support the not for profit "Stop Soldier Suicide."

"They are an organization dedicated to bringing the suicide rate among veterans down so that it has parity with the general population," said Emanuel.
 
And while "Sundogs" is currently only available via streaming, Emanuel says his dream is to bring this play to the stage once the pandemic is behind us. For more information head to, thewda.org.