JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- The Veterans Spouse Project will be presenting a theater production and expressive-arts workshop to highlight past and present military spouses at the University of Alaska Anchorage May 11 and 12, 2018.
The VSP is a non-profit organization working to give a voice to the experiences of military spouses across the music, drama, dance and expressive arts.
The theater production, I Will Wait, follows the lives of past and present military spouses as they share experiences of sending their loved ones to war. The story begins in 1945 at the end of World War II, and travels through the wars in Korea and Vietnam, Operation Desert Storm and the war on terror.
“When it came to interview spouses for the play, I realized that the feelings I felt were universal,” said Amy Uptgraft, VSP founder. “Other spouses had gone through or were going through, similar experiences and emotions. Most of the time, we don’t realize how war creates a ripple effect. It effects not only the service members, but also the families and people around them.”
The play was produced in 2015 in an effort to bridge the gap between civilian and military families by furthering the understanding of what military families endure through deployments.
“What I appreciate about the production is that it provides a window into the world after the happy homecoming,” said Lea Johnson, VSP managing director. “The play has woven together the similarities and differences between spouses of today and the spouses of previous wars.”
The expressive-arts workshop, Made for You, is held in conjunction with the play as an opportunity for veterans’ spouses to connect with others through art, music, spoken and written word, movement, and meditation.
“The workshop was created to allow spouses to speak about their experiences after watching the play,” Uptgraft said. “I felt that it wasn’t right to open up all of these emotions without providing a way for them to express their feelings and stories.”
I Will Wait will be presented at the UAA Mainstage Theatre, May 11 and 12, at 8 p.m. The Made for You workshop will take place at the UAA Fine Arts Building, May 12, from 1 to 5 p.m.
The workshop is free for veterans’ spouses; attendees will also receive admission to the production.
For more information, visit the VSP website at www.iwillwaitvsp.com or Facebook page at www.facebook.com/iwillwaitvsp.