Jerry Spearbeck

The summer of 1991 was the incubation period for Letters From the Front.  We had just completed our initial run at the 14th Street Playhouse in Atlanta and had been encouraged by Col. Rick Kiernan to take our play to military installations.  Odd as it may seem, this idea never occurred to us, primarily because none of us connected with the play had any military experience.

We spent most of that summer in Washington, DC having doors slammed in our face.  Cutbacks in military spending meant there was absolutely no money for a touring show. Finally we encountered a gentleman who, while turning us down, said, "There is one person who might know how to make this happen.  His name is Jerry Sperbeck.  He's in charge of commercial sponsorship at Fort Bliss, Texas and he's darn good at it.  If you can get Jerry on your side, you might be able to do something."

Getting Jerry on our side was probably the easiest task we faced on this project.  As a former POW of the Korean War, Jerry was instantly taken with the show's concept.   With Jerry's invaluable help, we set up a test market at Ft. Bliss.  He guided us to the right contacts for sponsorship for this test and then marched in the troops to make sure we had enough folks to get a reaction.

And what an overwhelming reaction we got!  Our thanks to Jerry Sperbeck for opening the door.

In Act II of Letters From the Front, the audience gets to know Jerry on a more personal level.  His account of life as a POW during the Korean War is now a part of our show - one of many authentic war letters that make up the fabric of Letters From the Front.