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This fall, the Veterans and the Arts Initiative at ��ɫ��Ƶ introduced a new workshop: . Held in several spaces throughout the venue, including the Hylton Center’s Gregory Family Theater, and led by George Mason College of Visual and Performing Arts Dean Rick Davis and the Veterans and the Arts Initiative team, the new staged reading program gives Veterans and service members the opportunity to explore works that focus on military service and bring them to life with fellow members of the military community.   

The texts participants read during the six-week program are diverse—drama, poetry, and even a bit of music—reflecting human experiences with war and military duty throughout history and across cultures. They “range from Greek tragedy to modern drama, both serious and satiric, and some classic war poems,” said Davis. 

“One of my favorite pieces in the workshop is the Chorus from The Cure at Troy, an adaptation by the great Irish poet Seamus Heaney of a Greek tragedy by Sophocles," he continued. "We are having fun exploring how a Greek Chorus sounds (with a modern translation), splitting up some of the lines and trying to create that sense of the ‘voice of the people’ that we think was the original purpose of the Chorus. I also love the famous World War I poem by Wilfred Owen, ‘Dulce et Decorum Est.’”  

Building a sense of camaraderie is an important part of the workshop process. Davis works on breathing and vocal production in the classes, but participants also work on “listening and speaking with intention.” In a group with such a wide range of ages and experiences, everyone brings different insights, Davis observes, regardless of whether they have acted before or not. No theater experience is required to participate.

Davis and Niyati Dhokai, program director for the Veterans and the Arts Initiative, said that “The common factor is that the community members who have come together for this workshop series have served our country, so what they bring to the texts that they have studied is a profound series of intergenerational reflections on service, war, and the importance of community.”    

At the end of the workshop, members of the group will have a chance to present what they have learned during a public performance. But participants receive other valuable takeaways from their time with In Service of Theater: A Staged Reading Program for the Military and Veteran Community.

“As one of the members said on the first day, this kind of workshop gets you out of your comfort zone a little, but in a safe and supportive way,” Davis said. “You can see the connections being made among the participants, how they are there for each other. And they should come away from the workshop with a greater appreciation for the art of performance—and maybe a spark might be kindled in some to keep looking for more opportunities."

The will be offering a spring session of the workshop in 2027. Keep an eye on the for scheduling and sign-up information.

is funded in part by Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, an initiative of the National Endowment in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant program is managed by Mid-America Arts Alliance.   

 Presented in partnership with Virginia Department of Veterans Services.