Chapter Arts Centre
14th June 2012
Every actor gets nervous before a performance. What if you forget
your lines, what if a particularly moving scene threatens to overwhelm
you, what if the audience don’t react in the way you expected? These
fears are even more immediate for the ‘performers’ in Re-live’s Abandoned Brothers.
Not trained to perform on the stage but trained for combat in our
military services, these brave war veterans bared all onstage to try and
raise awareness of the crippling illness that has dominated their lives
for years – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
These two real veterans stood in front of a sell out audience with
just their wife and aunt there beside them for support. Occasionally a
whispered reminder from wife to husband would help keep the performance
on track. A hand placed lovingly on an aunt’s shoulder to guide her back
to her chair evoking more emotion than the most convincing actor. It
was clear that although these men had seen horrific things during their
service tours these women still see equally as horrifying things in
their own homes. A suicidal husband, unable to sleep, dosed up on
sedatives, with night sweats and an alcohol problem. There is very
little support available out there for these broken men and even less
for their families who are often torn apart by this cruel illness.
It was hard to believe as one of the men told us he had not been
outside for more than twelve months before the Re-live support group was
set up. A natural born performer, witty, charming and charismatic, a
strong and emotive singer. It was difficult to imagine this man home
alone, with only a bottle of Jack for company.
The two men’s stories were expertly woven together with linking music
provided by an acoustic guitar played live on stage whilst a projection
screen showed pictures of the men’s past or art they had created as an
outlet for their anxiety. Additional stories were included via
voiceovers, these were just as moving as we heard from more men and
women affected by PTSD.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder occurs when someone is exposed to a
traumatic event that their brain cannot process properly. They are
forced to re-live the original trauma through flashbacks or nightmares.
Other symptoms can include difficulty staying or falling asleep, anger,
hypervigilance, avoidance of any stimuli that may be associated with the
original trauma, becoming emotionally numb and depression. It is easy
to see why so many sufferers turn to substance abuse and why their
relationships fall apart leaving them alone and helpless.
In a post show talk more veterans with PTSD took to the stage and
what followed was an illuminating and worrying debate. When asked who
these veterans felt abandoned by; the forces, the government, society or
the NHS?; the answer was hard to swallow. They felt abandoned by all
four. As soon as they are diagnosed with PTSD the forces effectively
wash their hands of any involvement with the veteran and leave the
funding for their care to charities. The government are to blame for
instigating the violence that they are forced to re-live. Society
withdraws from them, afraid and ignorant. And often the NHS doesn’t have
a clue how to treat them. There is nothing on their records to say they
are a veteran so often a diagnosis can take months and misdiagnosis
happens all too often. When they finally get to see a psychiatrist they
are told they have “ten minutes”. How can you convey all of the horror
of war and the subsequent years of suffering in ten minutes?
At first I was not going to review this production. It is not theatre
in a traditional sense but more storytelling and I didn’t know where to
start. I originally saw the performance as research for a role I am
playing myself and didn’t feel comfortable reviewing real people who
have been brave enough to re-live their trauma for a curious audience.
Having had a few days to fully comprehend what I witnessed I feel
obliged to write something of these inspirational men and women to
continue raising awareness. Someday soon hopefully this awareness will
turn into action. These broken families need more support, more
understanding and more help. In England there are four residential
centres for PTSD sufferers to go and share their experiences and receive
treatment, in Wales there are none. Their biggest fear is the “tidal
wave” of PTSD suffers that will hit Britain after the end of ‘The War on
Terror’. Our soldiers continue to fight long after they have left the
battle field and sometimes the condition can lay dormant in their minds
for years.
I have been humbled by these courageous veterans and their relatives.
Not just because they have had the guts to get on stage and share their
harrowing trauma but because each one of them said that they would go
back and serve their country time and time again despite the hell they
continue to live in. I genuinely wish them the best of wishes for the
future and I hope one day they will find some peace. Thank you Re-live
for bringing this massively ignored problem into focus.
For more on the inspirational work Re-live do please visit: www.re-live.org.uk
For more info on PTSD visit the page on the The Royal Collage of Psychiatrists Website.
For more reviews please visit: www.hypercriticreviews.blogspot.com
