In 2021, Feast of Crispian started our class in the resident domiciliary at Zablocki VA Hospital as part of the required curriculum! This is a shift from the last two years where the class was an elective. This is a wonderful recognition of the affective power of the work we do for veterans in residential programming. (Residential programs are intensive and focused programs for veterans whose challenges have become too disruptive for their day to day lives).
Veteran’s Stories Through Shakespeare meets weekly, currently virtually, and uses scenes and monologues from many plays to explore emotions. The class gives veterans a chance to pay attention to what emotions feel like in the body and express them in a healthy way without the exposure of their own words and stories. We look at a range of “themes” that help them connect their own experiences through the poetry and stories of Shakespeare. Sometimes they write their own poetry and build a personal vocabulary for how to think about, talk about, and grow capacity for a meaningful and satisfying life.
In a recent class, we “played” with a scene where the vet “actors” got to declare their strength and honesty. The conversation afterwards was about the feelings of anger and of confidence that the words elicited.
It’s serious work but we also have fun and find a lot to laugh at!
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