World Premiere of Performances on Struggle and Strengths of Afghanistan and Iraq Veterans
Chicago, Ill.—(ENEWSPF)—June 11, 2014 – The National Veterans Art Museum (NVAM) is pleased to host performances of Unraveling Veterans by Chicago Danztheatre Chicago. Unraveling Veterans tells the stories of five veterans from Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. Free performances take place at 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm on June 14th.
The combination of first person monologue, movement, and multi-media images mirror the physical, mental, and spiritual struggles military service can put on soldiers while highlighting the strength, courage and camaraderie they discover. The stories are woven together through their shared experience of longing, post-traumatic stress, and uncertainty. Unraveling Veterans aims to spread awareness about post-traumatic stress and kick start a dialogue about the subtle and often tragic implications of war and violence.
Director: Jack Ryan.
Writer: Jack Ryan and Ellyzabeth Adler.
Choreographer: Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble
Stage Manager and Technical Director: Ashely Bowman
Cast: Ellyzabeth Adler, Venice Averyheart, Brian Boller, Freeman Coffey, Noor Hamid, Gennifer Jackson, Alex St. John, Tiffany Small, Melissa Talleda, Matthew Webb, Christopher Young, with McKenna Liesman on June 14 performing a monologue remembering the first U.S. female casualty in Operation Desert Storm.
About Unraveling Veterans
In 2006, Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble created “Unraveling Bill,” a 15-minute performance about veteran Bill Blake, who committed suicide shortly after returning from military service in Iraq. Bill’s suicide sent ripples of pain through his family and community. Since its premiere, “Unraveling Bill,” was performed many times at different locations and festivals such as the Jane Addams Hull House Museum “How do we Create Peace and Justice” 2013 series, Youspoke.org’s “Not Alone” event for those affected by suicide, and The Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins Theatre Festival.
“Unraveling Bill” tells only one families story, but this issue of post-traumatic stress, the isolation most soldiers face after service, and the true cost of war is a national story. To better address these issues Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble developed Unraveling Veterans, which includes Bill Blake’s story along with four other veterans experiences serving and returning home. Since 2012 Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble has been compiling veterans stories through interviews and soldiers letters home saved by families and museums. We have talked with veterans who have served in direct combat, civil affairs and nation building, as well as chaplains and therapist that serve veterans. In 2013 a work-in-progress showing of Unraveling Veterans toured four Chicago Park District locations as an initiative with The Culture, Arts and Nature Department.
About the National Veterans Art Museum
The National Veterans Art Museum, located at 4041 N Milwaukee Avenue, inspires greater understanding of the real impact of war with a focus on Vietnam. The museum collects, preserves and exhibits art inspired by combat and created by veterans. The National Veterans Art Museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and exhibition of art inspired by combat and created by veterans. It is home to more than 2,500 works of art by more than 270 artists. Personal narratives and artistic representations of war (including paintings, photographs, sculptures, poetry and music) provide transformative learning opportunities in art, history and civics.
The National Veterans Art Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Admission is free. For group admission reservations, call the Museum at 312/326-0270 or visit www.nvam.org.
Patrons of the museum can access art from the permanent collection and biographical information on the artists through the NVAM Collection Online, a recently launched online and high-resolution archive of every piece of art in the museum’s permanent collection. The NVAM Collection Online can be found at www.nvam.org/collection-online.
About Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble
Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble challenges, engages and inspires audiences both onstage and in the classroom, through innovative, multidisciplinary storytelling in the genre of Tanztheatre, which unites all art media and to achieve an all-embracing, radical change in humankind. As an Ensemble, we collaboratively create thought-provoking arts performances and educational outreach programs incorporating elements of theatre, music, movement, visual arts and literary text. We are dedicated to “performance with a purpose. www.danztheatre.org.
Source: www.nvam.org
