11 Days. More than 1,000 Lives. One Promise Kept.

11 DAYS: The Story of Operation Pineapple Express Brings the New York Times Best-Selling Book to Life Onstage at Torp Theater on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 3 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tickets are available here.

(11 DAYS: THE STORY OF OPERATION PINEAPPLE EXPRESS — This is a 110-minute live theatrical performance featuring one actor portraying 24 distinct characters. Immediately following the performance is a 30-minute audience talkback, during which attendees have the opportunity to engage with the actor and director, ask questions, and explore the themes, stories, and real-life experiences that inspired the production.)

New Britain, Conn.—What would you do if leadership told you the mission was over, but the people you’d promised to protect were still in danger? That’s not a hypothetical. In August 2021, as Kabul fell and the Taliban closed in on the Kabul airport, retired U.S. Army Green Beret Lt. Col. Scott Mann faced exactly that question. His answer became one of the most remarkable rescue operations in modern American history, saving more than 1,000 Afghans in danger of losing their lives. Watch the trailer below.

On October 2 at 7 p.m. and October 3 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Torp Theater in Davidson Hall on the campus of Central Connecticut State University (1615 Stanley St, New Britain, CT 06050) will host 11 DAYS: The Story of Operation Pineapple Express, a one-man, one-act play written and performed by Mann that puts that story, raw and unfiltered, on the stage. Tickets are $35 for general admission, $25 for veterans, active military, and first responders, and $10 for students.

You don’t need to know anything about Afghanistan to feel this story. You just need to have ever kept a promise when it cost you something.

“This isn’t just my story,” says Mann. “It’s the story of a team, a mix of retired and active duty U.S. special operations forces, foreign service officers, governmental staffers from both parties, former intelligence officers, and more, who refused to let fear or politics stop them from doing what was right. It’s a story of honor, brotherhood, and courage.”

Adapted from Mann’s New York Times bestselling book Operation Pineapple Express, the play unfolds across the 11 desperate days of August 2021, when a group of veterans and Afghan allies — working entirely outside official government channels — launched a covert volunteer rescue operation from basements and living rooms across the United States. Think Argo meets Dunkirk: the inside story of an improvised mission most Americans never knew was happening, with the lives of more than 1,000 Afghan interpreters, commandos, and their families hanging in the balance.

This is not a political piece. It is a deeply human story about promises made and kept under extraordinary pressure, told through roughly 20 characters from across the globe, all performed by Mann alone on stage.

The effect is visceral and immediate: one man, one spotlight, and the full weight of what it means to refuse to leave someone behind.

Mann’s path to the stage is itself part of the story. After retiring from 23 years of military service, he struggled deeply and nearly took his life. It was storytelling, and specifically an acting class, that helped him reclaim purpose and understand his own mental health journey. That experience led him to found Task Force Pineapple, a nonprofit built on a simple but radical idea: that story is one of the most powerful tools we have for healing from fear and trauma and for helping veterans be seen for their humanity rather than as political symbols.

The production’s recent New York City run drew an audience that ranged from Tony Award–winning producer Michael Lamon and established playwrights to veterans, NYU theater students, and members of the general public. Nearly every audience member stayed for extended post-show conversations. The consistent response: “I had no idea. This is a story everyone should know.” Actor and humanitarian Gary Sinise heard about the run and has since joined the effort to bring the show to communities nationwide.

Every performance includes a facilitated post-show community conversation with Mann and members of the Task Force Pineapple team — a rare opportunity for audiences to ask questions and engage directly with the people who lived this story. This isn’t a lecture. It’s an immersive storytelling experience.

Performance Dates:

• October 2, 2026 at 7 p.m.
• October 3, 2026 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Location:
Torp Theater in Davidson Hall
1615 Stanley Street
New Britain, CT 06050

Tickets & Info:
General Admission: $35
Veterans, Active Military, and First Responders: $25
Students: $10
Tickets are available here.

11 Days performances are part of a 2026 national tour bringing this urgent, timely story to stages and audiences across the country. If you are interested in bringing the show to a theater near you, please email Scott Mann.

About Scott Mann:

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Scott Mann is a former U.S. Army Green Beret with tours all over the world including Colombia, Peru, and multiple tours in Afghanistan. He is a warrior storyteller, host of The Scott Mann Podcast, and the founder of Rooftop Leadership and Scott Mann Leadership Academy, where he shares the rapport-building and storytelling skills he learned in Special Forces to help today’s leaders make better human connections in high-stakes, low-trust engagements.

Scott is the author of Nobody is Coming to Save You, a leadership field guide to making better human connections in this time of division, and the instant New York Times Best Seller, Operation Pineapple Express, a third-person narrative detailing the harrowing stories of the Veterans, volunteers, and Afghan Allies who navigated the US abandonment of Afghanistan in August of 2021. Scott is also a playwright and actor with his award-winning play, Last Out: Elegy of a Green Beret, touring stages across the country to provide healing to our Veterans and Families of the Fallen, as well as providing insight to our citizens on the personal cost of the longest war in our Nation’s history.

To learn more about Scott’s full body of work, visit ScottMann.com.

About Task Force Pineapple:

Task Force Pineapple is a 501(c) (3) veteran-led organization committed to supporting veterans, first responders, and their families on the journey from moral injury to moral repair, and to bridging the military-civilian divide to create understanding through education. Through community engagement, storytelling, and strategic advocacy, we foster post-traumatic growth and preserve the hard-earned lessons of the Global War on Terror. Our programs include warrior storytelling workshops and theatrical productions.

Learn more at tfpineapple.org.