Not to be missed! DEPLOYED on stage at The Waldo - May 20th at 7pm and May 21st at 2pm.
The Waldo Theater proudly welcomes this story of women in the United States Military, with a staged reading performance of the play DEPLOYED, written by Nicola Smith and Samantha Lazar.
Directed by Anna Belknap “ DEPLOYED” weaves together the original stories of U.S. women veterans, in verbatim accounts, to delve into the unique challenges of being a woman in the United States military.
The DEPLOYED cast of seven hugely talented actors, all from local communities features veterans and non-veterans. Every line of text in the play comes verbatim from a veteran's account, according to the playwright.
The U.S. military has made recent strides toward gender equity, such as the Pentagon's opening of all frontline positions to women in 2015. Yet the past decade has also seen numerous revelations of gender discrimination, harassment and even rape in the service. From the author’s website :
“Deployed provides an opportunity for both civilians and veterans to hear perspectives that often go untold and unheard, and for female veterans to recognize the commonalities in their military experience, no matter when or where they served. It comes at a time when there is a wider national spotlight on the experiences of female veterans and a recognition that the roles and experiences of women in the military are often significantly different from those of men.
As a society, we have not yet fully reckoned with the physical and psychological burdens placed on returning veterans. Female veterans, in particular, speak of melting back into civilian society, which obscures both their contributions and their scars. The time could not be more ripe for this production to shine a spotlight on the powerful experiences of female veterans.”
Join the cast for this 70 minute, eye-opening experience which embodies the love and pride these Veterans have for serving their country , while confronting the things that need to change for service to be truly inclusive for all. Every woman portrayed in this production would serve again if called, a real testament to them and to our Armed Forces,
The cast includes:
Zora Margolis as Kathy
Ella Ackerman as Jackie
Isis Phoenix as Kelly
Dale Purington as Jane
Honora Boothby as Kate
Ellie Busby as Liza
Shlomit Auciello as Nina
Celebrate U.S. women veterans, and the return of live community theater to The Waldo.
Tickets are only $10 and veterans are admitted FREE showing ID at the door. Additional donations will be accepted onsite to support The Waldo and Sisters In Arms, Maine's only shelter for women veterans.