If you lived through the era of the Vietnam War draft lottery, the independent production of the new play, “Sixty-Nine — Seventy,” is sure to force a visceral reaction. As it pertains today, it is a study as to how the timeline of the “peace, love and war” era is knocking on the door of 2026.
The new play “Sixty Nine — Seventy,” among the independent productions sprouting in Pittsburgh this spring, is a throwback to the era of the Vietnam War, the draft lottery that sent young Americans to fight in Southeast Asia, and the antiwar protests of the “flower power” generation. It was the last military draft in the United States, ending in 1973, but not the last war. Every few years, it seems, the U.S. is embroiled in a violent conflict on foreign soil.
For playwright Michael Eichler, a University of Pittsburgh alumnus, and director/producer Alex Manalo, “Sixty Nine — Seventy marks” a second collaboration as the play readies for a May 14, 2026 opening. In March of last year, Manalo produced and directed Eichler’s self-funded “Repulsing the Monkey,” at City Theatre’s Lillie Theatre.
