In Minnesota alone, 1 in 13 adults are veterans—and all have compelling stories to tell. On Saturday, February 22 at 2 p.m., six Minnesota veterans will bring their stories to Carleton College’s Weitz Center for Creativity Theater in Telling: Minnesota, an original three-act play based on their experiences. A reception and 30-minute moderated discussion with the cast immediately follows the play. The event is free and open to the public, but ticket reservations are recommended. Reservations can be made online at www.carleton.tixato.com/buy/.
Minnesota veterans in the cast include Kenneth Plant (United States Marine Corps), Angie Gagnier Batica (United States Army), Vincent Undis (United States Navy), Stu Rawling (MN Air National Guard), Theodore John (United States Marine Corps) and J.A. Moad II (United States Air Force). The six will share their candid accounts of military service from the Vietnam era to the present day, providing an unvarnished look at the heroism, absurdity, horror, wonder, and banality of military life. The production, directed by Max Reyneard, was written from first-hand interviews with the performers themselves.
“Veterans are everywhere in our community, but their experiences aren’t always well known or understood among the civilian population,” said Susannah Ottaway, Director of the Carleton College Humanities Center, a co-sponsor of the performance. “Telling: Minnesota helps foster a deeper understanding of the military experience—and encourages the community connections that are so important to our service members returning home to Minnesota after deployments abroad.”
Telling: Minnesota is part of Veterans’ Voices, an initiative of the Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC). The Carleton performance is the inaugural event in an anticipated long-term partnership between the MHC, the Carleton Humanities Center, and the Carleton College Office of the Director of the Arts.
“We’re proud to bring to Carleton a theater event of such authenticity and relevance to our times, as our initial project with the Minnesota Humanities Center,” said Steve Richardson, Director of the Arts. “These are voices from our own community that aren’t often heard on college campuses.”
The Telling Project has performed previously at the US Library of Congress; Maryland Center for the Performing Arts; Portland Center Stage in Portland, OR; Lisner Auditorium in Washington, DC; and has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institute, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Metabolic Studios, among others.
This event is sponsored by the Carleton College Humanities Center and the Office of the Director of the Arts. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-4389. The Weitz Center for Creativity Theater is located at Third and College Streets in Northfield.
