Starting with it's 2019 iteration, the Veteran Story Collecting Project, aims to capture the voices and stories of the KC Metro area veteran population.
The Veterans Story Collecting Project is a collaboration between The Fine and Performing Arts Department of the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center, The Arts Council of Johnson County, Midwest Trust Center at JCCC and NYU Steinhardt’s Verbatim Performance Lab (VPL). The project aims to capture the experiences of veterans during their time of military service and their return to civilian life. Through collecting, performing, and witnessing the stories of veterans, we hope that actors and audiences can gain a deeper understanding of veterans and their experiences.
Teaching Artists trained in a specific protocol developed by VPL interviewed veterans about their experiences. A short section of a participant’s interview was then selected and transcribed to create a 2-3 minute portrait. Using the transcript, the original interview recording, and fieldnotes, the interviewer then created a verbatim performance (word for word and gesture for gesture) of the interview excerpt. Please note that in this style of verbatim performance participants are often portrayed by actors of other races, ethnicities, gender identities, ages, abilities, or orientations.
To view these portraits click HERE
For Educators: Want lesson plans and activities inspired these portraits? Click HERE for educational content geared towards grades 7th and up.