Veterans To Perform Shakespeare At Baltimore's CSC Theater

Chesapeake Shakespeare Company's military veterans' ensemble will present "To Be a Soldier," a collection of Shakespeare scenes on military experience, at 8 p.m. March 25 and 26 at the theater at 7 S. Calvert St. in Baltimore. Tickets are free for veterans and active-duty military.

Olive Branch and Laurel Crown, CSC's veterans' ensemble, has worked on the presentation for several months as part of the Studio at CSC's veterans' programming supported by a Creative Forces grant. "To Be a Soldier" is the ensemble's third original compilation, with six vets in the program choosing Shakespeare scenes that reflect their personal experience in the military. "To Be a Soldier," directed by Lauren Davis, was first performed at the 2022 Shakespeare Theatre Association's annual conference in January in Harrisburg, PA.

The March 25 and 26 performances at CSC will be the only ones in Baltimore before the acting troupe brings "To Be a Soldier" to veterans conferences and centers in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. in the spring and summer.

CSC's classes encourage veterans to use William Shakespeare's plays as inspiration to reflect on their personal experiences, in the military and in their return to civilian life. CSC Director of Education Ron Heneghan teaches classes in-person and virtually at the Perry Point VHA. The next class for veterans at CSC begins in April for a 10-week session, which meets on Saturdays, and is free to military veterans. CSC started the veterans programming in 2017 and 26 veterans have participated so far.

"I enjoy the material we work on, I am learning about the acting process, and I enjoy the company of the other members in the Ensemble. I have bared my heart and soul to them," says Matthew Imholte, who has participated in several sessions of CSC's program and spent 10 years in the U.S. Army. "These veterans in the Ensemble have become my closest friends."

A Marine combat engineer from 1987 to 1993, David M. Hanauer, who served in Kuwait during the first Persian Gulf War and later Kosovo, told The Baltimore Sun of his first experience in the program in 2017: "The whole program has been a great way for us to display different emotions. We all had exposure to many of the same things which we are now able to see and express through the eyes and words of Shakespeare's characters."

For more information about this production or Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, visit ChesapeakeShakespeare.com.