On June 28 & 29, 2018 GRoW @ The Wallis will present performances by Veterans Empowerment Theatre (VET) in partnership with CRE Outreach, a local nonprofit dedicated to transforming lives through the power of creative expression. This is part of our commitment to expand access and opportunties for those in our community whose voices need to be heard.
Veterans Empowerment Theatre features a variety of performing arts workshops and opportunities that give our nation’s brave service members a safe environment to voice their own heroic stories, personal tragedies, triumphs, and experiences through theatre.
This is the second year of partnership between The Wallis and CRE Outreach. Last year, the two companies produced “The Hero Within,” which featured a cast of 8 military veterans. What sets VET apart from other programs is that it is not just veterans’ stories being portrayed by actors…it is veterans writing, producing, and performing their own stories together.
Take a look at the news clip from KTLA during last year’s partnership:
Actress and VET participant Judy Levisy (U.S. Army) shared the following about her experience with “Marching On”:
Before Veterans Empowerment Theatre, I was very nervous to express my thoughts and feelings about what happened to me while serving in the Army, especially to people I knew nothing about. Working on this production, “Marching On” written and performed by military eight veterans, has provided a safe place for me and other Veterans to tell our stories.
We as a unit became a family of Veterans. Our rehearsals are not just for rehearsing, but they turn out to be therapeutic for every one of us. We laugh, we cry, we argue, but in the end, we are coming together as Veterans always do. Veteran’s Empowerment Theatre is and will always be important to me because it helps me to clear away the anxiety I faced throughout the years in the military.
Thanks to a generous grant from the California Arts Council, “Marching On” will commence its run with a special engagement at The Wallis. Don’t miss your chance to see this performance in a unique setting, with a chance for intimate discussion about the themes from the play between the actors and audience.
June 28 & 29, 2018
Thursday & Friday @ 8:00 PM