HEALTH AND WELLBEING
From frontlines to footlights
The environs of a theatre is helping war veterans tell their stories to the civilian population they would otherwise not connect with , lessening the burden of emotional isolation .
When Dr Erika Hughes ’
brother returned home from Iraq , he – like most combat veterans – struggled to express what he had been through . It worried his family and it was this filial concern that became the catalyst for an innovative and potentially life-saving communication ‘ bridge ’.
Dr Hughes co-developed a form of ethnographic theatre in which ex-service personnel are able to come to terms with their frontline experiences by using the stage as a supportive medium of expression .
Her production , The Veterans Project , began running in 2013 in the US and now also in the UK , where she is Academic Lead for Performance in the School of Art , Design and Performance at the University of Portsmouth .
Each year ex-military personnel take to the stage to tell their stories alongside curated video and visual material that supports their narratives .
PHOTO : 123RF
This project has two aims – it challenges preconceived notions of military life and encourages veterans and those who are still serving to talk to each other in a safe environment .
– Erika Hughes
“ This project has two aims – it challenges preconceived notions of military life and encourages veterans and those who are still serving to talk to each other in a safe environment ,” Dr Hughes says .
The performances help individuals and communities heal the mental wounds of war . Over the years the performers have come from the US Army , US Navy , US Marine Corps , US Air Force , British Army and Royal Air Force , having served in conflicts ranging from Vietnam to Kosovo , Iraq , Afghanistan and the Falkland Islands .
“ In an interview situation , and as a non-veteran , I can only ask questions based on my assumptions ,” she says . “ So these answers can ’ t truly explore people ’ s experiences . By getting veterans together , they can talk and we non-veterans can learn .”
Veterans gain a lot from speaking on stage , with most finding it cathartic and therapeutic . “ The events are clearly facilitating empathy and connection , with the arts functioning as a kind of community therapy for both audience and performer ,” Dr Hughes says .
Most performances contain moments of levity , as well as insights into military life . For example , a 2015 performance of The Veterans Project at Arizona State University ’ s School of Film , Dance and Theatre revealed military life in the desert involves quite a bit of dancing .
“ There ’ s so much dancing in the desert because there ’ s not another thing to do out there ,” former US serviceman Matthew told the audience . “ That ’ s the thing about combat : 99 per cent boredom , 1 per cent being scared shitless .”
The performers themselves bring a broad range of perspectives to the project . “ For example , in one of the mixed-gender performances , gender itself became a focal point ,” Dr Hughes says . “ One male veteran in an early performance didn ’ t think women should have combat roles . In response , a female veteran also onstage argued that women ’ s gender meant they had to work even harder than their male counterparts to prove themselves in the military .”
Many factors influence how the veterans tell their stories on stage . “ Memory is fluid . The time that ’ s lapsed since an experience took place can affect the memory or the telling of it . This is just how memory works . In this instance , it ’ s more important to leave a narrative that preserves something .
“ Also , perspective counts . For example , veterans might tell their stories differently each time , depending on the audience . It ’ s fair to assume they ’ ll tell the story in one way to their military buddies , and in another way to their grandkids .”
Dr Hughes hopes The Veterans Project can collaborate with a museum or archive in the future to create a database of military oral histories .
“ They will be for historians and people who want to use them to create a better understanding of society , so these important memories are not forgotten ,” she says .
ISSUE 02 / 2021
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