KNOXVILLE, TN (Nov. 2, 2023) – The journey of a military spouse can be stressful, due to relocation, conflict, isolation, and even trauma. That journey can also be full of moments of joy, hope, happiness, and beauty. Often, it is a mix. But rarely are those stories shared publicly. Now, as the nation’s only creative arts non-profit dedicated to telling the stories of military spouses, the Veteran’s Spouse Project is bringing these stories to the stage—and the curtains open for its newest play on November 3.
The new play, titled in*Between, takes to the stage at the River & Rail Theatre Company’s Old City Performing Arts Center in Knoxville for an exclusive engagement on Friday, November 3, in the format of a live staged reading. The script, by playwright Amy Uptgraft and the members of the Veteran’s Spouse Project’s Heart to Script Writing Group, shares stories of veteran and active-duty military spouses that emerged through a series of writing workshops.
“Military spouses endure so much during both times of war and peace. We endeavor to show how unique and unheard these voices are,” said Lea Johnson, Veteran’s Spouse Project’s executive director. She added, “We’re so grateful for our relationship with Corvias, who matched a grant we received from the National Endowment for the Arts. Their long-time support of our mission helps us deliver the healing power of storytelling. Military spouses often feel invisible to the civilian community around them. Through the performance of in*Between, the Veteran’s Spouse Project will make them visible.”
“What began as a volunteer among the Corvias team at Fort Johnson has grown into something that we value and sustain as an organization now,” said Chris Wilson, chief executive officer of Corvias. “We firmly believe in giving back to military communities and supporting the Veteran’s Spouse Project in building connections and understanding between military and civilian communities.”
Tennessee is home to the U.S. Navy’s Mid-South Base, the Arnold Air Force Base, and in the Knoxville region, the Air Force’s 134th Air Refueling Wing and the McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base. The staged reading format allows the audience to provide feedback immediately after the show and helps Veteran’s Spouse Project refine the play for understanding by both civilian and military audience members.
For tickets, please visit: https://veteransspouseproject.org/in-between/
The Veteran’s Spouse Project receives financial support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Corvias, and Mesa, Inc.
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Editor’s Note: As a proud sponsor of the Veteran’s Spouse Project, Corvias is offering media support. We can help members of the media arrange interviews with the VSP director, playwright, or others involved in the production of in*Between. Media in the Knoxville area, please also contact us for a press pass to the live staged reading.
About Veteran’s Spouse Project
Veteran’s Spouse Project (VSP) is a 501(C)3 organization that holds the mission of storytelling across the generations of veteran and active-duty military spouses in order to provide these spouses with a space in which they feel heard and can heal and also to provide a unique crossroads in which the civilian and military communities can truly connect. VSP does this through creative arts workshops, theatrical readings and performances, and interviews that capture the verbal and written military spouse experience.
About the Playwright
Playwright Amy Uptgraft has a theatre degree from Purdue University and is an actor, playwright, and youth theatre director. She has worked in theatre in New York City, North Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Colorado, and Alaska. She and her husband, LTC (R) Jamie Uptgraft, have four children and live in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
About Corvias
As a privately-owned company headquartered in Warwick, RI, Corvias partners with the Department of Defense and higher education institutions nationwide to solve their housing, infrastructure and energy resiliency challenges and to create long-term, sustainable value through our unique Solutions Through Partnerships℠ approach. Corvias pursues the kinds of partnerships that materially and sustainably improve the quality of life for the people who call our communities home. Corvias seeks to partner with organizations with aligned values and missions that are important to our nation’s success. To learn more, please visit: www.corvias.com.