Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts kicks off 2012’s Showcase Artist Series with Telling: Baltimore on Saturday, January 21 at 7:30 pm. This innovative performance is part of The Telling Project in which military veterans and their family members, after interviews and subsequent training and rehearsal, stage the ‘telling’ of their stories for their communities. Tickets are $20; $15 for Maryland Hall members.
Under the direction of Heather Mayes, the Artistic Director of Veteran Artist Program and in conjunction with MHCA, seven Baltimore area military veterans and family members will take the stage in a live performance of their own words transcribed and scripted from interviews conducted by playwright Jonathan Wei of The Telling Project. After extensive interviews, performance training, and rehearsals, this cast is taking the bold step of “telling” the story of life in the military. Stories from a mother of a fallen Marine, an active duty medic, a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” veteran, and other personal accounts of service make this a must-see event that will change the way our veterans communicate with the community they live in. David Dower of the Arena Stage says this project has "the potential to radically re-define the idea of the military in the American consciousness."
The Telling 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. The Telling Project holds no political view as regards to the military or its actions. Rather, they 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.
Maryland Hall is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of Maryland and the National Endowment for the Arts, and a grant from the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County. Additional support comes from sponsors including: COMCAST, MedAssurant, ARINC, Bay Ridge Wine and Spirits, Towne Transport, Verizon, Sandy Spring Bank, M&T Bank, Loews Annapolis Hotel, Severn Savings Bank, Westfield Annapolis and Corporate Office Properties Trust.
For more information, contact the Maryland Hall Box Office at 410-280-5640 or visit www.marylandhall.org. Box office hours are Monday - Friday from noon – 5 pm. Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts is located at 801 Chase Street, Annapolis.
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Contact: Carling Belden
Marketing Coordinator
410-263-5544 ext. 12
cbelden@mdhallarts.org
