This year’s Telling: Minnesota 2016 brought another round of Veterans to the stage at the Guthrie Theater April 30 - May 1. 

This hybrid, three-act play has no intermissions.  Rather it is broken up by the cast starting off with stories of joining the military, then each Veteran has a monologue to explain their most definitive experiences in their service, and finally, the play culminates in a more casual, conversational aspect where the Veterans talk about reintegrating to civilian life back home. 

Six Minnesota Veterans took part in this play that has been performing nationwide since 2008. 

Directed by Max Rayneard, the cast’s interviews were transcribed and made into a show designed to contrast life before, during and after the military. The idea is to give civilians a glimpse into the lifestyle of Veterans and to “open up a conversation in a way that they aren’t currently,” Rayneard says.

“Civilians say ‘we love our Veterans’ but they don’t know how to deal with what they ‘bring back with them,’” Rayneard elaborated. This is exactly what The Telling Project wishes to do: Veterans tell the audience what they need to feel integrated and accepted back into civilian life. 

We cannot forget that these Veterans are human beings with regular lives, families and obligations; they are ordinary people that have done extraordinary things. By listening to these stories The Telling Project hopes to create, as Rayneard puts it, “active citizens engaged to a country [and countrymen and women] at war.”

The show, it is reported, sold out every show and the Director and Cast said that both Minnesota and the Guthrie felt ‘ready’ to have this performance. The hope is this conversation can continue and that next year’s show can generate new conversations for Minnesota and the nation to have with its Veterans.

Being a Veteran myself, I wanted to go and pay my respects to those that are willing to get on stage and share their experiences. I am so fortunate to have been a witness to this play; it was so authentic and yet relatable that it evoked a powerful emotion among the crowd and to be a part of it was very special. – Blake Rondeau 

For more information about The Telling Project and upcoming shows visit their website.