Maryland Veterans Play ‘Becoming a Soldier’ ​​by Chesapeake Shakespeare Company – CBS Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ) – A group of seven military veterans stars in the play “To Be A Soldier” this weekend at the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company.

The play is a compilation of scenes from about a dozen Shakespeare plays that characterize the military experience.

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“The scenes they chose say something about them,” said Ron Heneghan, CSC’s Director of Education.

Shows are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $22 to the public and free for veterans or active-duty military.

“Most of us had never acted before starting classes here a few years ago,” said David Hanauer, a Marine combat engineer from 1987-1993. “It was really gratifying to be able to act and express myself artistically.”

Many of the veterans came to the Studio at CSC through its veterans program.

“Many of them have never been artists before and some of them didn’t intend to be artists when they got here,” said a retired Marine who studied theater at school university said. “We can talk about (past trauma). It’s just something I’ve never had with a cast. ”

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Veterans say they bring their own personal service and combat experience to the stage with them.

“During the time we were making this play, two veterans would commit suicide. That resonates with me. And, it’s something I can’t do, but I try,” said Richard Wirth, a Vietnam veteran.

Acting is an outlet for many veterans who will encourage others to find an art to accept.

“Everything you do has a purpose when you’re in the Army, and when you leave the Army, you lose that purpose,” said veteran Chris Bennett. “All soldiers are poets and philosophers to some extent.”

The movie “To Be A Soldier” lasts 75 minutes with choices from: Henry IV, V, VI (Parts 1, 2, 3); Richard II; Richard III; Two Noble Kinsmen; King Lear; Timon of Athens; Macbeth; Hamlet; Ado much about nothing; and Antony and Cleopatra.

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