The Sandbag Times Issue No: 40

Face is being documented by award-winning
Guardian photojournalist Kate Holt, who has
worked extensively throughout Africa and
Afghanistan for the last 15 years, and the
show will open as part of London
International Mime Festival in February 2018.
The national tour is being supported by Diane
Palmer (Operational Manager and Partnership
Lead) and her team at the Midlands and East
NHS Veterans Mental Health transition, intervention
and Liaison Service. There are 4
NHSE commissioned TILS covering England
that launched on the 1st April 2017. Diane
previously founded and managed the Multinational
award-winning Veterans First Service
when work on A Brave Face began, this service
was replaced by TILS. Diane and her colleagues
have pledged to attend as many
shows as possible across the country to offer
support to anyone affected and to raise
awareness of TILS.
‘’I am delighted to be involved in this unique
performance. Rachel Savage has shown a
genuine desire to portray an honest and
heartfelt account of military personnel and
Veterans experiences as they battle with mental
health conditions including Post Traumatic
Stress. It is hoped that the show not only will
it demonstrate the challenges Veterans and
their families face, but it will raise awareness
of the new NHS services available to support
them across England in collaboration with the
MoD and Military Charities”
Full mask theatre is wordless, which may
seem a tricky medium for addressing intensely
emotional subjects like PTS, but as
Rachael explains (in a 2017 article by The
Guardian’s Lyn Gardner), “one of [mask theatre’s]
greatest currencies is its ability to give
voice to the unheard and the unspoken.”
Working without words creates a personal
kind of communication in which difficult
issues can be more easily approached. She
promises that A Brave Face, whilst sometimes
being raw, is also often funny and
always compassionate. Whilst the show’s
objective is to highlight how some people living
with PTS are feeling failed by the system,
it does so in a way that good theatre can – by
showing the human story behind the labels
and statistics, and the importance of creating
hope.
The SBT on ‘A Brave Face’
If I could be allowed to express myself freely
in this section, I just may be able to give our
readers an insight to this incredible piece of
work.
Some years ago, I was honoured to be able
to write a musical play which tackled one of
the most controversial subjects around today.
A Song For A Hero told, what I thought was a
dramatised but pretty accurate account of
PTSD in Veterans,, that was until a few weeks
ago.
Granted, Vamos Theatre, headed by Rachael
Savage had plenty of information by actual
veterans which gave them the realism from
the ‘lads on the ground’. But it was also the
result of two years research.
I don’t want to spoil this production for future
viewers apart from saying it is bloody good
and it would be a crime to miss it, but two
thoughts came strongly to mind after watching
the show. Firstly, just how much I related
to the character ‘Ryan’. In so many ways, I
could see myself a few years ago but that
won’t just be relevant to me. I truly believe
any veteran that has experience mental
health issues will connect to him. Secondly,
just how acurately the production was done.
It is a far cry froma typical stage-planned war
hero, it is a reality check to the cold, hard
truth. This alone, has filled me with hope that
finally, after all of the shouting and screaming
at people to understand these problems,
somebody has finally got it. Not just got it,
but hit the nail on the head so hard, they
have driven the hammer through the wood.
Finally, I am so pleased to report that, as I
write this, I have been contacted by the
Vamos Theatre team who told me that their
opening night in London was a huge success.
I must put out a warning to those wishing
to see this production, get your tickets
soon. They are selling out so quickly.
We are giving away a pair of tickets to the
show, hopefully at a theatre near you. To find
out how to have a chance to win this awesome
prize, simply visit the SBT home page.
For more information or to
book tickets, go to
www.vamostheatre.co.uk
www.sandbagtimes.co.uk 15 |