Dispatches from a long battle

There will be two free screenings of the docudrama "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Saturday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the Dowling Studio at the Guthrie Theater. The film's subject is the recently lifted policy that prevented gays and lesbians from serving openly, fueling almost two decades of controversy.

Writer and star Marc Wolf, who originally presented the material as a one-man off-Broadway play, based on three years of interviews with hundreds of gay and heterosexual soldiers, service families and public policy experts. Drawing on that documentary material, Wolf portrays 18 characters whose attitudes reflect every facet of the contentious issue.

Late last year Congress ended the ban on gays serving openly. The new rules of conduct went into effect Sept. 20, and the armed services have complied with little reported friction.