TAMPA, Fla. — Integrating back into regular day-to-day life can be a challenge for our military veterans. Here in Tampa Bay, there is a group that’s using the arts as a way to bridge that gap, and it will all be displayed on stage this weekend for one memorable performance.
This marks the fifth anniversary of the Veteran Civilian Arts Ensemble.
WATCH Veterans and civilians come together on stage for one memorable performance
This year’s cast consists of 18 veterans and civilians.
“For me as a former Marine, as a veteran myself, it’s a powerful way to really serve the veteran community and as an artist, I know my personal experience is that it's my way to really return to what I consider to be my full sense of myself,” said Co-Artistic Director Fred Johnson.
Johnson says before you start singing or dancing, you must begin with meaningful conversations.
“What can I as a civilian understand, what can I as a veteran feel, so that there is a reintegration because the greater goal is for the veteran community and the civilian community to work together,” said Johnson.
Veterans like Diana Colon and Dawn Foreman say they never could have imagined that getting up on stage would be so therapeutic.
“Very healing for me to get me out of my comfort zone, or just being alone to getting out and putting myself out there,” said Colon.
“Be allowed to express your emotions and in a productive way, someone else can get the benefit of your hardship and things you’ve been through, and not just you in the corner in the dark and not being able to express,” said Foreman.
While civilians like Sasha Roman and William Smith say that, after just a few rehearsals, they felt a whole new connection with our veteran community that they never had before.
“Personally, I haven’t really met too many veterans or anyone who has served in the military, so getting to be in this program has been really helpful to me,” said Roman.
“It’s participating in something together, and seeing it start, and seeing it move to the finish, and then the final product, and I’ve been involved with two plays so far, I really loved it,” said Smith.
Every song you’ll hear during their performance is an original, many of them stemming from real conversations between the cast.
“So, ‘Can’t know where you are going if you don’t know where you’ve been,’ is really a song about its importance to know each other's stories, to honor our history and allow that to be the foundation for moving forward,” said Johnson.
This year’s performance is Saturday, June 7, at 2 p.m. in the TECO Theater at The Straz. Admission is free. The ensemble hopes their voices just don’t carry across the theater, but the entire community. They are always looking for new members.
“You develop friendships that last forever. If I see any of these people out in the streets somewhere, I’ll know their name, we’ll speak, we’ll embrace each other, we’ll show love, and that to me is what this is all about,” said Smith.
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