Several military veteran performers and artists will showcase their artwork and talent at Veterans Light Up the Arts on March 2 at the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center.
The all-veteran art showcase is sponsored by area community organizations serving veterans, including Feast of Crispian: Shakespeare with Veterans and Milwaukee Repertory Theater. The event will feature musical and dramatic performances by area veterans, as well as a showcase of visual pieces by veteran artists. US Army veteran Tarik Moody of 88Nine Radio Milwaukee will be the MC for the evening, which will feature Jason Moon, the J. Ryan Trio, Feast of Crispian, and more.
“We are thrilled to join with other community organizations and provide veteran artists with a platform to showcase their talent,” said Saul Newton, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce. “Many are not aware of the contributions military veterans make to our community’s arts and culture. Veterans Light Up the Arts will highlight those contributions.”
The event is part of a series of veteran-focused events hosted by Milwaukee Repertory Theater in conjunction with performances of Grounded, a gripping new play about an ace fighter pilot finds herself grounded when she becomes part of the “chair force” flying drones over Afghanistan. The dramatic performance runs February 22 to April 2.
“This play provides us with a unique opportunity to reach out to the military and veteran community in order to strengthen our city through celebration of local veterans and contemplation of issues that affect less than 1% of our population yet send ripples throughout our entire nation,” said Nabra Nelson, Community Engagement Associate at Milwaukee Repertory Theater. “Our new status as a Blue Star Theatre, member of the Veterans Health Coalition and Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce is a proud declaration of The Rep’s ongoing commitment to actively fostering a mutually beneficial relationship with our local veteran and military community.”
Veterans Light Up the Arts is free and open to the public, and the event is sponsored by the Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Feast of Crispian, Milwaukee Homeless Veterans Initiative, VetsNet, and the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center.
Milwaukee Repertory Theater presentation of Grounded, by George Brant, is about an ace fighter pilot who finds herself grounded when an unexpected pregnancy puts her career on hold. When she returns to the pilot’s seat, she finds that she’s now part of the “chair force,” flying drones over Afghanistan from the comfort of a trailer in Nevada.
The Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce is a membership based nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting military veterans, veteran-owned and veteran-friendly businesses. The group advocates for Wisconsin’s veteran business community, and promotes economic opportunity for military veterans, military families and veteran-friendly businesses.
Feast of Crispian: Shakespeare with Veterans is a nonprofit organization bringing together professional actors and the texts of Shakespeare with military veterans in order to teach and strengthen emotional resources that veterans may need to overcome traumatic and reintegration issues.
