Episode 188: Interview With Douglas Taurel

Douglas Taurel is a storyteller in the truest sense—an actor, writer, and producer who uses his craft not only to entertain but to illuminate the most personal and often overlooked corners of the human experience. With his solo play The American Soldier, now in a limited engagement at A.R.T./New York through December 21, Taurel steps boldly into the heart of America’s military legacy, channeling voices across generations, wars, and identities in a gripping 90-minute performance.

For Taurel, The American Soldier is more than a theatrical project—it is a mission. “The play was my form of activism as an artist,” he says. Inspired by his experiences during 9/11 and a deepening curiosity about the lives of service members, Taurel began a journey of research and empathy that would lead to a work both sweeping in scope and intimate in detail. Drawing from real letters, interviews, and historical texts, the play captures 14 distinct characters—men, women, and children—across centuries of war, from the Revolutionary War to Iraq and Afghanistan.

“There’s humor, there’s pain, there’s humanity,” Taurel explains. “It’s not a political play. It’s a human story.”

Performed entirely by Taurel, the play shifts seamlessly between characters: a grieving mother at the Vietnam Memorial Wall, a father dealing with his son’s suicide, a female combat veteran struggling with PTSD, and a soldier reconciling the loss of a limb. Each voice adds another layer to the complex reality behind military service and the rippling effects it leaves behind.

The power of the piece lies not only in its narrative but in its authenticity. “I wanted to pull back the curtain on what it really means when we say ‘thank you for your service,’” says Taurel. “There are real people behind those words—families, sacrifices, stories of pain and pride.”

The American Soldier has already toured 34 cities, including the Kennedy Center and the Library of Congress. It has been nominated for the Amnesty International Award and was originally staged at 59E59. This off-Broadway engagement, presented by NewYorkRep, marks a return to New York for the production and a personal milestone for Taurel, who first staged the play in 2015 to a small audience of eight.

“I thought that might be it,” he reflects. “Now here we are, years later, and it’s still growing. That tells me people are hungry for these stories.”

Taurel’s journey into acting was itself unplanned. Born and raised in Houston to Colombian and Argentine parents, he was originally drawn to theater during college, seeking solace after a breakup. What began as a whim turned into a passion—and eventually a career that has spanned television, film, and stage. He’s appeared in films like The Cobbler with Adam Sandler and The Kindergarten Teacher with Maggie Gyllenhaal, and played Joe Petito in The Gabby Petito Story for Lifetime.

His TV and voice credits include shows like The Americans, Blue Bloods, and the video game Red Dead Redemption. Yet it’s in the solo spotlight where Taurel's artistry resonates most. “When I’m on stage with The American Soldier, I feel every heartbeat in the room,” he says. “You can feel the audience let their guard down. You can feel the silence. It’s like a shared breath.”

One moment in the play that strikes particularly close to Taurel’s heart is a letter read by a mother at the Vietnam Wall. “Her name was Eleanor Wimbish,” he explains. “She just wanted the world to remember her son. I’ve gotten to know her family. They’ve thanked me for keeping his voice alive.”

As a son of immigrants, Taurel’s connection to American identity is layered and deeply felt. “My father was an Argentine Jew, my mother a Colombian Christian,” he says. “I wasn’t born into privilege—but I was born into opportunity. This country gave me everything. I wanted to honor that.”

That sense of gratitude is the pulse behind The American Soldier. It’s not about glamorizing war or simplifying sacrifice. Instead, it’s about humanizing the service—giving voice to the men and women who lived through it, and those who waited for them to return.

And audiences are responding. Testimonials pour in with words like “transformative,” “deeply moving,” and “unforgettable.” Many veterans, Taurel notes, come up to him after the show in tears. “They tell me I got it right. That means everything.”

Produced by NewYorkRep, an organization known for socially driven storytelling, The American Soldier continues its run through December 21, with performances Wednesdays through Sundays. Tickets are available at TicketTailor.com, with special pricing for students, seniors, and military members.

For Taurel, the play is far from over. He’s already created another one-man show, An American Soldier’s Journey Home, commissioned by the Library of Congress, and his award-winning series Landing Home—available on Amazon, Apple, and more—explores similar themes of military reintegration.

But it’s The American Soldier that remains the centerpiece. “I never joined the military,” he says. “But through this play, I feel like I’ve served in my own way—by telling their stories, by helping people understand.”

In a time when the noise of politics often drowns out empathy, Douglas Taurel’s work reminds us that behind every uniform is a voice, a memory, a human being. And in honoring those voices, we become better listeners, better neighbors, and perhaps better citizens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PojO9LmBW3Q

🎧 To hear the full conversation with Douglas Taurel, tune in to his episode on The Savoir Faire Audio Experience, streaming now.