The seldom-seen "theatrical documentary" by Rich Orloff (best known for wacky one-act comedies) employs recollections from Oberlin College students (one of the first U.S. colleges to admit women and blacks, and the playwright's alma mater) from 1964 to 1972 to examine, with sensitivity, honesty, humility and wit, student protest's glory years.

As a child of the times (b. 1960), I'm grateful that this young theater company did not overwhelm us with the period's top 40 hits, grainy video clips, or lurid fashion cliches culled from TV shows like American Dreams or That '70s Show.

The eight twentysomething actors move gracefully between characters in diary-style narration, monologues and scenes and are costumed by Carol Laratonda like current college students (i.e. what most college students looked like 40 years ago)—no hippie beads, giant bell-bottoms, or psychedelic tie-dye—subtly underscoring the sad fact that it's unlikely that today's college students could get so worked up about a war half a world away.

Vietnam 101 progresses chronologically, using the school's radio station ("WOBC, at the far left of your dial") to provide historical updates. This fine ensemble's personal stories of traditional panty raids giving way to women's rights, cynicism replacing blind faith, and personal ambitions surrendering to altruistic passions, particularly through protest.

The young radicals' trial-and-error demonstrations build from hilarious debates about the political implications of allowing a surrounded Navy recruiter a bathroom break to the horror of violent confrontation, culminating in the May 4, 1970 shooting deaths of four demonstrators at nearby Kent State and their involvement with Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), which graduated from Ghandi-like sit-ins to terrorist bombings.

Director Jennifer Pratt's staging in the tiny Shubin Theater on Jacob Walton's multileveled set is fluid, with all eight performers on stage the entire time, thus showcasing their sincerity—there's nowhere, and no way, to hide in the 45-seat Shubin Theatre.

For those of a certain age (mine, and older), Vietnam 101 is a refresher about a time when "overachieving neurotics" at small-town private colleges believed they could change the world. That Simpatico thankfully avoids making the play a period piece ensures it's not an ancient history class for younger audiences, but rather an entertaining primer in neglected subjects like civics and ethics.

VIETNAM 101: THE WAR ON CAMPUS

Simpatico Theatre Project Through April 9, The Shubin Theater, 407 Bainbridge St., 215-423-0254, ext. 1, www.simpatico- theatre.org