NEW PRODUCTIONS FOR 2012
Performances in May and November- check back for details
‘IMPORTANT, IMPRESSIVE PLAY CONVEYS THE REALITIES OF WAR’
Eastern Iowa Life, December 3, 2011 – click HERE to link to article
To view “Telling: Iowa City” in streaming video, click the photo above
With the University of Iowa Veterans Association and Working Group Theatre, and with the generous support of Humanities Iowa/National Endowment for the Humanities and many others, “Telling: Iowa City” was the 6th original production of The Telling Project, the 10th city in which The Telling Project has performed, and the first production in the Midwest. Every branch of the military was represented, from the last 50 years of military service. Directors Jennifer Fawcett and Martin Andrews (Working Group) worked with the cast of 7 for the last 2 months, refining the stories and shaping performances. To those of you who joined us, many thanks. For those unable to make the performance, you can view it online by clicking the photograph above. For cast bios and details about the process of preparing for “Telling: Iowa City,” visit the Working Group Theatre’s “Telling: Iowa City” webpage at http://www.workinggrouptheatre.org/WGT/Telling__Iowa_City.html
And don’t miss our remounted production of “Telling: Baltimore, MD” in Annapolis, MD and in Fredricksburg, MD in January, 2012 (see Schedule page for details)
“It was by far the best performance I’ve seen this season.” Ben Waterhouse, Willamette Week
“Whatever else you’re doing this weekend, you should drop it.“ Bayard Woods, What Weekly
(click quote to see the article)
OUR MISSION:
The Telling Project works with communities and organizations to produce “Telling,” – an innovative performance in which military veterans and their family members, after interviews and subsequent training and rehearsal, stage the ‘telling’ of their stories for their communities. The Telling Project creates opportunities for veterans to speak and their communities to listen.
The Telling Project has has performed in Eugene and Portland OR, Seattle, Sacramento and Washington, DC, Starkville, MS and Baltimore, MD for live audiences of over 10,000. On Veterans’ Day 2009, at the invitation of Be The Change, Inc., the cast was honored to share the stage with First Lady Michelle Obama. We are currently creating new productions in Iowa City, IA and Birmingham, AL, and making a feature documentary on ‘the making of’ “Telling: Eugene” entitled In The Telling, to be released in November of 2011.
The project is a response to several critical issues: among these are widespread public ignorance of the immediate impact of war on individuals and communities; difficulties that this ignorance poses to soldiers transitioning back to civilian life; and the danger that ignoring the rift between the veteran and civilian populations poses to communities and the nation as a whole. Central to the mission of The Telling Project is that it holds no political view as regards the military or its actions. Rather, we promote the belief that the experiences of soldiers are a vital part of the nation’s heritage, and as such must be both respected and understood. The Telling Project was born in May of 2007, when Jonathan Wei approached the Veterans and Family Student Association at the University of Oregon. Wei and the VFSA produced and first performed “Telling: Eugene,” in February, 2008.
*Our logo was designed and donated by Charles Waters Photography.
This comment string is from Joe Cantrell, a Navy veteran of the Vietnam War, and Josh Coombs – in relation to Josh’s “Ash Wednesday” clip.
Joe Cantrell at 5:54pm December 22
Takes me back to the day Dan Johnstone, the guy Danielle’s named after, and I were walking back to the boat from lunch in the officers’ mess at My Tho, in the Mekong Delta. A Vietnamese Navy guy about 50 yards away kicked his Honda starter, where some clever VC had tied a grenade under the gas tank with a wire to the starter, and well, you know…
It’s still very hard to go back through that stuff, and the power of your production gets RIGHT AT IT.
Joshua Coombs at 6:11pm December 22
So, Jon, you wanted my reaction to the clip…
Well, to be honest, I generally don’t like watching myself speak, because I’m either overly-critical of myself, or I feel like I’m bathing in narcissism. Watching it, I didn’t think it would have any affect on me, considering that, well a) I lived the experience, and b) I remember giving the monologue. Well, the end of it still kinda made my hair stand on end. That’s all.
Joe Cantrell at 7:38pm December 22
Joshua, thanks for the scream. You spoke for millions of us.
This comment is from Bill Mithoefer, sent to me via Facebook and in response to “Ash Wednesday.” Thanks for your words, Bill.
I guess it resonates with me because I remember very distinctly sitting in my little teenage hideaway off the living room in Accra when the military started shelling the broadcast house across the street. The first mortar that hit shook the wall of the house so much that I thought we were having a major end of Accra as we know it earthquake. Then I walked outside and hung out with all of the neighbors watching the Ghanaian troops continue to launch mortars across the street from where they were set up a couple of houses away, and it turned into our afternoon entertainment.
TELLING IN DC!!! AWESOME! I am so excited for everyone. Amazing work, John, Jon, and Max. Too bad it’s two days before I graduate, otherwise I’d be able to get out there and watch.
Officer Candidate Jin
Telling: Sacramento AWESOME SHOW! To bad if you missed it – it was great all 3 showings. We received a lot of very positive feedback.
I saw this performance at Towson University on Saturday 7th. It was spectacular. I thought every student should hear this message.