Defining ‘War Words’
The nonprofit New Beginnings has turned its focus toward ending veteran homelessness in the county by the close of 2025 through its Supportive Services for Veteran Families program that works to transition currently unhoused veterans back into stable housing and assist those whose housing situation is threatened. But in addition to putting its money where its mouth is, the organization also aligns one of its major money-raising initiatives with the cause, as for the last five years, New Beginnings has educated the community about the critical issues it addresses through storytelling via the arts and entertainment.
New Beginnings could hardly have found a better vehicle for its current efforts than War Words, Michelle Kholos Brooks’ Pulitzer Prize-nominated docu-play fashioned out of the words of men and women who served in the U.S. military during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. The 2017 play is headed for its official off-Broadway premiere in New York City at the beginning of November. But first, War Words has a preview staged reading at the New Vic Theatre with a star-studded cast and production team.
Brooks’ motivation to write War Words parallels well with those of us who have difficulty comprehending the world of the homeless population: she wanted to understand something she had no experience with, namely what drove young men and women to join the armed forces.
“I have had zero association with the military at all in my life, and I am so far from that experience,” explained Brooks, a former journalist with a self-professed “deep hippie heart” who lives in Venice Beach. “I don’t notice race or religion, but veterans were maybe the only group that I ever thought of as the other. I don’t understand fighting or boundaries, and why we all can’t just get along. I don’t get it, but it exists, and I wanted to know more. So I set out to try to figure out why people do this.”
Fueled by a desire to learn more and turn that into a series of monologues that might “do something to bring attention to the situation with veterans,” Brooks conducted conversations with dozens of veterans from a wide array of backgrounds and demographics.
“It was truly eye-opening; the range of reasons was staggering,” she said. “I was amazed by the incredible intelligence and thoughtfulness and openness of so many of them, not what I expected at all. Before the idea of patriotism and service to me were kind of hokey ideas, but I don’t believe that anymore. I had a very clear idea of who I thought people in the military were. And my worldview was really shaken by doing these personal interviews and getting to know them personally.”
Brooks turned the interviews into a cohesive docu-play where 14-17 actors portray veterans who share their stories of their experiences of the wars and beyond through monologues that result in its own narrative thrust. There are stories of trauma and PTSD to be sure, but heart and humor weave their way through the tales.
“You wouldn’t believe how many funny stories these veterans told me,” Brooks said. “It’s not just dark and depressing. Audiences are so surprised and delighted by the humor, which is such a large part of the experience.”
The playwright said she was delighted to be having the chance for an out-of-town reading prior to the New York opening, especially being able to work with veteran director Jenny Sullivan and a strong cast in a show that benefits New Beginnings.
“I did this to become an interpreter, a bridge between people in the military and the other 99 percent of us who don’t serve,” Brooks said. “I hope the audience walks away entertained, moved, and with the same eye-opening experience that I had making it.”
New Beginnings present War Words at 7 pm October 28 at New Vic Theatre.
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