Last Out — on the road again!
The Heroes Journey play Last Out, returned to the stage in late November 2022, after a two-year hiatus caused by COVID shutdowns. Last Out is an emotional breaching tool for discussions on the chaos of war for military members, the cost of deployment on families, and examination of the moral injuries and re-traumatization of veterans after the botched departure from Afghanistan last fall.
“The play’s author and actors wrote on my heart and in my mind, as realistically as humanly possible, what those who serve experience every day, be they at home or deployed. It was easy to see the cast had lived all those moments and were reliving them again on that stage as I watched, as I cried for every man gone to war. It made me want to be able to just reach out and take each of them in my arms, to attempt to comfort each one. But even if I had been there with them, witnessing the pain and agony on their faces weakened my entire body and I do not believe I could have even stood.”
With the generous support of the Gary Sinise Foundation, Last Out did seven preview shows in Tampa and Washington DC and then premiered at the iconic Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago in January. These nine shows reached over 1500 people. Last Out will visit six locations between May and October 2023. Therapeutic storytelling workshops offered at each tour stop brought 37 veterans, military family members, and Gold Star family members into the Heroes Journey family. We hope to see them at one of our two-day workshops soon.
The Last Out tour will take to the road again in May.
We hope you can join us for a performance at one of these locations:
• May 5-6 / San Diego, CA / California Center for the Arts, Escondido
• June 9-10 / Phoenix, AZ / Herberger Theater
• July 28-29 / Sioux Falls, SD / The Alliance Theater
• August 25-26 / Franklin, TN / Franklin Theater
• September 22-23 / Milwaukee, WI / The Cabot Theater
• October 20-21 / Topeka, KS / Topeka Performing Arts Center
You can find out more about each tour stop and get ticket information at https://lastoutplay.com.
Warrior Storytelling Workshops
At a Heroes Journey Warrior Storytelling workshop, participants will find a safe place to share stories with new friends and to learn how to take their trauma and shape it into powerful healing stories. When warriors learn to tell their story, they become more resilient to their struggle. Part of resilience is letting go of the looping tape of past hardship and allowing fresh new perspective in.
Since July 2022, THJ has facilitated eight Warrior Storytelling workshops, reaching 75 veterans, military family members, and Gold Star widows, parents, and children. Many of our participants have truly experienced the gravest cost of war, and have demonstrated unparalleled bravery as they mastered the telling of their stories, many of which recounted the worst day of their lives in detail.
“There was such an understanding and compassion with you and your team…and it makes complete sense because I was telling you parts of my story you all already understood. I can think of only a handful of times I’ve ever talked about snippets of my story out loud. There is so much I understand, don’t understand, and want to understand, and I was unsure how to put all of my thoughts and emotions to work through my own story. But I believe that is exactly the intent {of your workshops}.”
Helping our warriors get these hard stories off their chests and into the world is needed now more than ever. Your willingness to share the journey with us means so much; we wouldn’t be able to provide these powerful Heroes Journey programs without your generosity and support. We hope to see you soon at one of our Last Out tour stops!
For information on The Heroes Journey or to make a donation in support of our mission, please visit our website www.theheroesjourney.org
For additional information or to sponsor a workshop or tour stop, please contact:
Kim Seevers | kim@theheroesjourney.org | (518) 429-8038
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