“We all have things we need to unload,” says a military veteran in this 30-minute play portraying a powerful bond between two men who have respectively faced personal loss.
When an actor asks his veteran friend to help him prepare to audition for the role of a solider, they embark on a soul-searching journey to address difficult memories. Drawing on his ability to overcome challenges in and out of uniform, the veteran must guide the actor through an unspoken grief that has been haunting him for decades. The heart of the play invites audiences to witness a dramatized version of a group therapy model where individuals unload some of their ‘baggage,’ or trauma, to move forward with their lives. Filled with emotional truth and laughter, this moving and surprising play brings to life research on veterans transitioning home and the lived experience of civilians carrying trauma.