Armed Forces Entertainment is scheduled to bring the Theater of War performance to the Kunsan Air Base movie theater May 8, 2017.
According to Armed Forces Entertainment, this play depicts the visible and invisible wounds of war, and by presenting this play to military and civilian audiences, the Armed Forces Entertainment—along with Theater of War— hope to de-stigmatize psychological injury, increase awareness of post-deployment psychological health issues, disseminate information regarding available resources, and foster greater family, community and troop resilience.
“Regardless of you being military or civilian, everyone has had a tough time in their life, and you can stay down or get back up and keep going,” said Tech. Sgt. Daniel Mendez, 8th Medical Operations Squadron mental health clinic noncommissioned officer in charge. “We as military members are always being resilient because we learn how to endure things, bounce back and absorb the weight and help each other.”
The performance stars Bryan Doerries, the writer of The Theater of War: What Ancient Greek Tragedies Can Teach Us Today, and several television actors, such as Chris Henry Coffey, who has acted in Law & Order: CI, Linda Powell of The Good Wife, and Reg E. Cathey who has had roles in House of Cards and The Wire.
“This style of performance is a very different approach because it will have the audience and the actors in a very close environment to each other,” said Mendez. “That will hopefully allow military and civilian members to feel more connected to the story and their own personal experiences.”
Each reading is followed by a town-hall style audience discussion, which has been facilitated with the help of military community members.
“I hope that the audience can gain a greater perspective on something that has existed for thousands of years,” said Mendez. “It reminds me of something I remember hearing, ‘those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.’”
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