Amphibian Stage modifies schedule and adds free online workshops for veterans and others suffering from PTS
During this unprecedented time of high stress, Fort Worth theatre company expands De-Cruit Veteran Program to include anyone in need of relief from the effects of trauma and anxiety.
Amphibian Stage – Kathleen Culebro, Artistic Director, and Jay Duffer, Managing Director – has announced scheduling changes to its 2020 Season in response to CDC recommendations.
The company will postpone its world premieres of Egress to the fall of 2020 and The Amazing, Fabulous And Spectacular Untruths Of Don Juan Garcia to its 2021 Season, Amphibian Stage said in a news release
All Comedy Residencies, Metamorphosis New Play Development projects, and National Theatre Live screenings through May 15 will be rescheduled for later in the year.
With the support of the Communities Foundation of Texas and the Arts Council of Fort Worth, the company will move De-Cruit workshops online.
Created and led by Stephan Wolfert, De-Cruit is a proven, award-winning series of classes that use Shakespeare and personal narrative to give participants the tools to manage the effects of and responses to trauma.
Acknowledging the need for this type of therapeutic intervention, particularly during the current pandemic, several generous donors have made it possible for Amphibian to host additional courses free of charge for all who identify as trauma-affected, Amphibian Stage said in the news release.
ABOUT DE-CRUIT CLASSES
While some veterans return home from active duty to normal lives able to reintegrate easily, a large percentage find it difficult to readjust to civilian life. In a few cases, these men and women have run-ins with the law and are incarcerated. In more severe cases (22 per day, according to statistics) they take their own lives.
The goal of De-Cruit is to undo the effects of military wiring: In order for the military to perform its most basic function, that is, to kill when necessary, it must wire them for war. But at the end of military service there is no “un-wiring” to reintegrate veterans back into society.
The use of theatre and the performance of Shakespeare’s verse provides a safe, collaborative environment in which to explore the deepest facets of our humanity. Camaraderie is built among participants as they connect to themselves, to each other, and to Shakespeare’s characters.
This experience, combined with the psychological depth and poetry inherent in Shakespeare’s verse, allows an integration of human compassion, connection and empathy to emerge as a treatment for the trauma of war.
Workshop participants select Shakespearian monologues that fit their experiences and are coached through line-by-line analysis. Eventually, they write their own personal monologues and perform them.
This communalization of trauma has been a proven technique in Cognitive Processing Therapy to promote healing. The curriculum also uses rhythm, embodiment and breath coaching found in classical actor training to promote therapeutic healing.
We have already seen an increase in participants’ self-esteem and self-worth because we respect and acknowledge their personal experiences. Their supervisors report improved behavior and anger management, Amphibian Stage said in the release.
Please contact Ayesha Ganguly: ayesha@amphibianstage.com for schedule and to enroll.
Amphibian Stage is a nonprofit theatre company founded in 2000 by three alumni of TCU’s Department of Theatre who strive to produce innovative and engaging theatre that inspires new ideas, opens new doors, and increases understanding of the vast world around us.
– FWBP Staff