CONNECTIONS BEYOND TIME to Make World Premiere at Blue Door Theater in Culver City
ArtsUP! LA's Veterans Empowerment Theatre brings veteran-written stories from the Revolutionary War to modern conflicts.
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After a highly successful run of the inaugural The Letters Project in 2024, for the past six months ArtsUP! LA's Veterans Empowerment Theatre and Returning Soldiers Speak have been collecting, researching, and curating letters and correspondence written by military veterans to members of their family and friends which embody the hopes, fears, and observations of those deployed during wartime from the Revolutionary War to the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.
Both groups believe in the transformative power of story which gives voice to veterans who have experienced war, as well as showing how the different wars affected and continue to affect their relationship to the military. The veteran playwrights, each with their own experience in the United States Armed Forces, bring authenticity and depth to the shared stories from their fellow veterans.
The playwrights include head playwright Lelani Squire with Cynthia Ridyard, Keith Dow, Will Sims, PG Pilliteri, Jeffrey Webster, and Richard DiSaito, who used the shared historical documents to write monologues and scenes for The Letters Project 2: Connections Beyond Time, an original theater piece produced by Bryan Caldwell and Leilani Square, and directed by Karl Risinger. Six performances of its world premiere take place Friday, June 19 through Sunday, June 28 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3pm at the Blue Door Theater, 9617 Venice Blvd. in Culver City, CA 90232.
Featured in the cast (in alphabetical order) are Maggie Borgen, Nicholas Cormier III, Chiara Gheller, William Duffy, Mason Kennerly, Chris Loverro, Rolphe Jay Miceus, Cynthia Ridyard, Jalen Travers, and Vince Wainwright. The technical team includes set builder Lanny Savoie and lighting designer Doug Gabrielle. Stage manager is Heather Saturday.
Through these live performances, audience members will witness a myriad of humanity which offer a new perspective and understanding about what it means to serve. There will be a short talkback with the playwrights, director, and cast members after each performance, giving patrons a chance to share their thoughts and ask questions.
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