Details

Soldier Tales is a mini-festival of new writing and a celebration of the stories of military veterans. It is the culmination of the Second International 10-Minute Play Competition organised by the Soldiers' Arts Academy which invited entries that were written by military veterans or their loved ones and had a military theme. It attracted submissions from across the UK, Europe and the USA. Soldier Tales is a carefully curated selection of the short plays and will be performed by a small acting company comprising members of the Soldiers' Arts Academy Cry for Help - A homeless veteran is drinking on the top of a multi-story carpark. He is reliving traumatic events from his Army service and haunted by a dead former comrade. Emergency Leave - A young US Army Reservist is about to be deployed to Iraq, but before she goes she has a shattering admission to make to her elder sister. They have something in common which she was not aware of. Take Care of the Yellow Cards - A former UN Military Observer remembers a particular vehicle patrol during the war in former Yugoslavia in 1995 and what happened to his interpreter on the road to Zagreb. I'm Switching Off Now - A mother receives the news that all mothers dread about her Royal Marine son who is on active service in Afghanistan. She shares her grief and memories with his younger brother and sister. Discharged - A young combat medical technician waiting to be assessed at the Sunnyside Mental Health Centre. She is grieving for her boyfriend and facing the threat of being discharged from the Army Simple as that isn't it? A banana, a run, a chat and – poof! All your problems have magically disappeared. Who writes this crap?

Creatives/Company

Author(s): Kevin Hanbury (Cry for Help), Elaine Little (Emergency Leave), Paulo Goncalves (Take Care of the Yellow Cards), Linda Spencer (I'm Switching Off Now), Claire Hughes (Discharged)