U.S. Army veteran Stephan Wolfert co-founded the DE-CRUIT program, which uses theater, specifically Shakespeare, to address trauma and mental health needs in veterans. FCA first brought DE-CRUIT to Fairbanks in 2018 and have invited them back for two separate public performances plus a series of workshops designed specifically for veterans.
DE-CRUIT: Cry Havoc!
Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, 7:30 p.m.
Dewild Theater, West Valley High School
Cry Havoc! is a one-person play that unites veterans with civilians. It shows us that the military men and women of Shakespeare’s time wrestled with the same hopes and worries that occupy our modern lives, and it explores the difficulties that our veterans and their families face.
DE-CRUIT: Make Thick My Blood
Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, 7:30 p.m.
Dewild Theater, West Valley High School
A two-person, radically physical show, “Make Thick My Blood” confronts the interplay between gender, power, trauma, and magic as experienced equally through the language of Shakespeare and visceral embodiment.
This two-person, 55 minute adaptation of Shakespeare’s :Macbeth” extracts the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to retell their story from the perspective of trauma survivors. Rich movement throughout the piece highlights the couple’s pain, danger, desperation, and disconnection with their own humanity.
CONTENT WARNING: “Make Thick My Blood” includes content that may be upsetting for some audience members, including enactments of the loss of a child, murder, suicide, and war.
Free workshops for veterans, families and caregivers
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE FOR SESSION 1
For veterans:
Mondays and Wednesdays, Sept. 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, 28
6-9 p.m.
For caregivers, families, counselors:
Saturday, Sept. 17
1-4 p.m.
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE FOR SESSION II
For veterans:
Tuesdays and Thursdays, Nov. 29, Dec. 1, 6, 8, 13, 15
6-9 p.m.
For caregivers, families, counselors:
Saturday, Dec. 3
1-4 p.m.
“Out of military turmoil, ‘Cry Havoc’ delivers visceral poetry… The man speaks words that I’ve heard countless times, studied for years and yet only now understand with true clarity.”
– Houston Chronicle
“Powerful theater can ensue when an artist simply, or not so simply, decides to bear witness: This is what I saw, this is what I experienced, this is what I think it means, this is why you should care… Stephan Wolfert commits himself body and soul to that mission in “Cry Havoc!”, and the result is riveting.”
– Boston Globe
“It chews you up and spits you out, as it were. It gives you chills while swathing you in empathy. Its horrific images of warfare are countered with angelic theatrical effects as the human heart is exposed. You haven’t quite been to a place like this, yet it’s homey and warmly embracing. A nightmare with raw nerves; it’s a plea for understanding and healing.”
– Houston Press