VETERAN'S VOICES Workshop Set for Tonight at Filament Theater

Erasing the Distance (ETD) is very excited to share the first incarnation of a newly devised piece: Veterans' Voices, a documentary theatre project exploring mental health issues facing servicemen and women, veterans, and their families.

Veterans' Voices is currently being developed with a devising team of ETD artists and students from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP). Led by Director Julie Ritchey (Filament Theatre Ensemble Artistic Director), the team is using transcripts of interviews conducted by TCSPP students with varying members of the military community, as well as material discovered through research, as a basis for the content of the show. Veterans' Voices will break the traditional monologue mold that ETD audiences have come to expect, exploring a more theatrical presentation that marks a new and exciting direction for our company.

A workshop version of the production will be held at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology tonight, June 25th at 7:00pm. The invite-only audience will consist of TCSPP students/faculty/staff, members of the military community, and select ETD supporters. The goal is to gather feedback about the style and content of the show that will inform the rehearsal process going forward. Veterans' Voices will then make its world premiere on Nov. 11, 2013 - Veterans Day - as the opener of ETD's 2013-2014 artistic season. Veterans' Voices will have additional performances on Nov. 12, 13, 18, 19 and 20 and will be staged in Filament Theater Ensemble's performance space at 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., in collaboration with the National Veterans Art Museum housed in the same building.

Veterans' Voices Devising Team:

Director: Julie Ritchey
Devisers: Brenda Barrie, Jared Fernley*, Andrea Gaspar+, Maura Kidwell*, Ron Rains*, Kelley Ristow, Scott Stangland and Kati Sweaney.
Producer: Brighid O'Shaughnessy*
*ETD Ensemble Member or Artistic Associate
+TCSPP student

Erasing the Distance (ETD) is a not-for-profit arts organization that sheds light on mental health issues through theatre. Founded in 2005, ETD uses the power of performance to disarm stigma, spark dialogue, educate, and promote healing surrounding issues of mental health. ETD collects true stories from people whose lives have been impacted by mental health issues. We sculpt the stories into theatrical pieces for the stage, which are then performed by our ensemble of professional actors. Every performance is followed by a moderated, interactive dialogue with the audience that addresses the themes they have just seen.

So far, ETD has reached over 40,000 audience members. For more information about ETD, please visit www.erasingthedistance.org.

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