The Deploy the Arts program will be putting on the production ‘Bringing it Home,’ a series of veteran driven performances and stories about understanding the veteran experience through theater.
‘Bringing it Home’ acts as both a theme and a title for the production, created by a collaboration of students with and without military backgrounds in the Deploy the Arts program.
The director of the performance is Dr. Gregory Mortenson, a theater professor and head of the program who wants people to understand the importance of allowing veterans to express themselves through art.
The Viking sat down for an interview with Mortenson to understand both the origin of the Deploy the Arts program and his reasoning for creating the program.
Mortenson spoke about the concept of regressive narrative therapy, a way of releasing emotions through narrative performance to help cope with emotions that were repressed during traumatic experiences.
“Rather than ignore it or take a drug to numb yourself, by retelling (the experience) and telling it, maybe even performing it, it drastically reduces the (PTSD) symptoms,” Mortenson said. “These narratives are astonishingly effective, and that’s why they do it.”
Mortenson spoke of the importance of trying to understand the experience of veterans through both trust and conversation.
“People will thank (veterans), saying ‘Thank you for your service’ when they don’t really want to be thanked,” Mortenson said, “If you see somebody with a hat that says veteran on it, just say ‘how are you doing,’ that will open a door.”
“The irony is that most people think you are not really a veteran unless you saw combat, which is patently false,” Mortenson said. “People will say ‘well, they didn’t really go the full distance,’ but yes they did, they swore an oath and gave up their freedom for you.”
“Some are narratives that they have written or narratives they’ve found that spoke to them, and others are from the classics,” Mortenson said when asked about the content of the performances.
The stories in the performances range from Afghanistan, Iraq, Cuba, San Juan Hill 1898, Korea 1954, Ancient Troy, and the Roman War.
“The main thread through all is that we are all damaged goods, but we’re surviving and we’re repairing the damage as we go,” said Mortenson
The production will even feature Trustee Vivian Malauulu, playing the role of Athena during a scene involving the death of Achellies and the toll it took on his friend Ajax.
The ‘Bringing it Home’ productions will performed in the auditorium of the Liberal Arts Campus; Building J. The showtimes are Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 3 at 2 p.m., Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m., and Dec. 4 at 2 p.m.
Admission is free for all LBCC students (with a valid ASB card), $10 for seniors, staff, and other students, and $15 for general admission.