AITAF brings high-quality arts programming to active duty service members, veterans, military support staff and their families around the world free of charge.
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AITAF performances and programming accentuate the shared humanity of all Americans by using live performance to unite artists and service members and encourage dialogue. AITAF creates space for these two communities to enrich and diversify each other via their respective skill sets, life experiences, and demographics. AITAF enlists artists of the highest quality and chooses material with an eye to what might speak to this particular audience without necessarily being war-themed or focused.
Mission: AITAF’s mission is to use the powerful shared experience of the arts to start conversations between military and civilian, service member and family member, the world of the arts and the world of practical action.
Operating as usual
Creativity can be in anything from arts and education to science and medicine. And on our base visits, we've seen firsthand how large of a role creativity plays in the Military.
How do you find motivation to stay creative?
#MondayMotivation
(Photo by Jenn Emerling, Virtual Film Screening w/ Tim Blake Nelson)
MREs, anyone?
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In 2019, @westpoint_usma gifted us some MREs, which created the AITAF MRE Challenge. Here's the video that started it all...
MREs, anyone?
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In 2019, West Point - The U.S. Military Academy gifted us some MREs, which created the AITAF MRE Challenge. Here's the video that started it all...
It's always inspiring to see service members in training. Here's to their resilience and determination!
(Photos by Jenn Emerling)
#WednesdayMotivation
Taye Diggs looking over his script before a reading of Sam Shepard's TRUE WEST.
(Marine Corps Base Hawaii, 2018)
#tbt
Thank you to everyone who submitted their screenplay for the Inaugural Bridge Award for Screenwriting!
We loved this TEDx Talk by The Black List Founder Franklin Leonard, who is also the son of a retired Army Colonel and grandson of a former Army cook.
Leonard is generously offering the winner and finalists of the Bridge Award for Screenwriting exclusive Black List benefits including two months of Black List hosting and two free script evaluations.
To learn more about The Black List: bit.ly/37i1649
How does Hollywood choose what stories get told on-screen? Too often, it's groupthink informed by a narrow set of ideas about what sells at the box office. As a producer, Franklin Leonard saw too many great screenplays never get made because they didn't fit the mold. So he started the Black List, an...
Calling all Student Veterans! Applications for our Spring Internship are due today (January 8, 2021) by 11:59 PM EST.
Note: This is a paid internship opportunity!
For more details and to submit, visit aitaf.org/student-veteran-intern-program
Photo by Jenn Emerling
Student Veteran Spring Internship applications are due tomorrow!
Submit here: artsinthearmedforces.submittable.com/submit
Photo by Jenn Emerling (Air Force Academy, 2018)
Have you subscribed to the AITAF After-Show yet?
More insightful and exciting episodes are coming soon!
Listen here:
Spotify - shorturl.at/dgxH8
Apple Podcasts - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aitaf-after-show/id1534211010
Many writers have questions about the role of representation - agents and managers - in an artist's career. What are these representatives looking for? How do they work with clients?
To shed some light on these questions, Bridge Awards Chair Anna O'Donoghue spoke with Jack Greenbaum, a manager and producer at The Arlook Group.
Check out their conversation here: bit.ly/3s4kdHp
Applications for the Spring 2021 Student Veteran Internship Program are open until this Friday - January 8, 2021!
Submit here: bit.ly/2MpRtbu
📸: @jemerling (Student Veteran Film Screening, 2019)
Submissions for The Bridge Award for Screenwriting close on Friday!
The Bridge Award for Screenwriting is open to all persons who are currently serving or have served in the United States military, regardless of age, experience, or background.
The winner will receive:
- A cash prize of $10,000
- An awards ceremony celebrating the winning screenplay and its author(s), with invited guests, followed by a Q&A with the screenwriter(s)
- Access to mentorship and/or professional development opportunities
- Exclusive benefits from The Black List including two months of Black List hosting and two free script evaluations
Submissions are open now until Friday at 11:59 PM EST.
For more information, visit bit.ly/2WJsu4M
Have a safe and happy holiday season!
Photo: Jenn Emerling (Camp Lemonnier, 2019)
Happy Friday!
The third selected conversation from our Virtual Film Screening Series is now available to listen to on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!
AITAF’s mission is to use the powerful shared experience of the arts to start conversations between military and civilian, service member and family member, the world of the arts and the world of practical action.
AITAF After-Show is a limited series of behind-the-scenes conversations between our artists and our military partners.
Listen here:
spoti.fi/3mEWQ3f
apple.co/3p6gsyM
The Bridge Award for Screenwriting is accepting submissions for two more weeks!
For some inspiration, check out this conversation between Anna O'Donoghue, our Bridge Awards Chair, and Clay McLeod Chapman, one of the members of our Honorary Selection Committee.
To learn more about The Bridge Award for Screenwriting, visit bit.ly/2Wp6Qmj
bit.ly/38cKBFR
The Bridge Award for Screenwriting is accepting submissions for two more weeks! For some inspiration, check out this conversation between ... Read More
Although 2020 looked nothing like we planned, we have to sit back and consider our collective resiliency. Our team doubled down last spring while quarantining in various parts of the country and seamlessly envisioned and rolled out virtual programming that has resulted in our most impactful and accessible year to date.
As we move to close out this calendar year, we encourage you to share news of what we do with your military friends and loved ones, and remember AITAF as you make decisions about year-end support -- we can't wait to get back on the road again!
AITAF is deeply honored and thrilled to announce that the prestigious Black List is offering the winner and finalists of the 2021 Bridge Award for Screenwriting two months of Black List hosting and two free script evaluations, as well as communicating to their industry members that the Bridge Finalists' screenplays are being hosted on the website and are available to download!
The deadline for submissions is January 1st, 2021 @ midnight EST. That's just two weeks away!
To learn more about The Bridge Award for Screenwriting: bit.ly/37irbQI
To learn more about The Black List: bit.ly/37i1649
Happy Friday!
The second selected conversation from our Virtual Film Screening Series is now available to listen to on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!
AITAF’s mission is to use the powerful shared experience of the arts to start conversations between military and civilian, service member and family member, the world of the arts and the world of practical action.
AITAF After-Show is a limited series of behind-the-scenes conversations between our artists and our military partners.
Listen here:
spoti.fi/3m7rsK7
apple.co/3gzNeVW
We're so excited to introduce you to The Bridge Award for Screenwriting's Honorary Selection Committee!
The Honorary Selection Committee is a panel of notable figures in the entertainment industry, with a diverse set of backgrounds and areas of expertise, who will determine the 5-10 finalist screenplays.
Scott Z. Burns
Clay McLeod Chapman
Marcia DeBonis
Gina Duncan
Kenneth A. Friedman
Jack Greenbaum
Jamal Joseph
Christina Lazaridi
Brian Mertes
Mimi O'Donnell
Chris Terrio
To read their full bios and to submit your screenplay, visit aitaf.org/bridge-award-for-screenwriting
Calling all Student Veterans!
We are currently seeking an intern for Spring 2021!
For more information, visit aitaf.org/student-veteran-intern-program
We're excited to announce that selected conversations from our Virtual Film Screening Series will be available to listen to on the AITAF After-Show!
You can now find this special episode, as well as our previous After-Show episodes on Apple Podcasts. All episodes will soon also be available on Spotify.
Stay tuned for more exciting conversations...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aitaf-after-show/id1534211010
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
After the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor 79 years ago, patriots like Linc Harner answered the nation’s call. #greatestgeneration #ww2 #pearlharbor #victory
Arts in the Armed Forces is currently hiring for the following positions. If you have any questions or would like to submit your materials, please email [email protected].
- Annual Fund Director
- Communications and Marketing Coordinator
Read the full job listings here: aitaf.org/careers
Now Accepting Submissions for The Bridge Award for Screenwriting!
The Bridge Award for Screenwriting is open to all persons who are currently serving or have served in the United States military, regardless of age, experience, or background.
The winner will receive:
- A cash prize of $10,000
- An awards ceremony celebrating the winning screenplay and its author(s), with invited guests, followed by a Q&A with the screenwriter(s)
- Access to mentorship and/or professional development opportunities
Submissions are open now until January 1, 2021.
For more information, visit artsinthearmedforces.submittable.com/submit
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“Grateful is an understatement. AITAF has built an amazing opportunity for the military community, and I’m honored to have been selected as this year’s award recipient. The Bridge Award not only provides extra motivation for veterans to put our stories on paper, but it also shows our community that someone is listening. The core ideas and emotional battles in LOCAL GODS were in my head and my heart for a long time. I don’t know that they would have ever become a play without AITAF leaving an open door that said, 'come inside, we want to hear what you have to say.'"
- Anton Sattler, 2020 Bridge Award recipient
We are grateful this #GivingTuesday for supporters like you who help to keep this program alive and offer Veterans like Anton a place to share their stories. Thank you!
TODAY ONLY - Get 10% off all items in the AITAF store!
Use the code AITAFCYBER at checkout.
store.aitaf.org
(Photos by Jenn Emerling)
This Thanksgiving, we invite you to join us in a moment of reflection in honor of the stories and sacrifices of our Native American Veterans, who serve in the armed forces at a higher rate than any other demographic.
In November of this year, the National Native American Veterans Memorial opened in Washington, D.C. to honor this community. At the opening, Keith Gover, the director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian and a citizen of the Pawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, had these words to share:
"When people bring their memories and bring their prayers to a place, they make it sacred," he said. "We wish for this to be a sacred place, not just for Native Americans, but for all Americans."
May we honor the stories of Native American communities and the service of our Native American Veterans on this and all days.
www.npr.org/2020/11/11/933473533/new-memorial-recognizes-generations-of-military-service-by-native-american-veter
(Photo: Alan Karchmer/Courtesy Smithsonian NMAI)
With the submission period for The Bridge Award for Screenwriting opening next week, we wanted to spotlight this year's head judge, Nancy Meyers!
NANCY MEYERS (Writer / Director / Producer) is a trailblazing filmmaker who, as a first-rate writer, director and producer, has created a body of work focusing on the female experience with her exceptionally literate and sophisticated comedies. Tapping into the very heart of modern relationships, she chronicles women and men, at work and in love, in a singular fashion that makes each film instantly recognizable as a Nancy Meyers movie.
You know Nancy from her films like THE PARENT TRAP (1998), THE HOLIDAY (2006), IT'S COMPLICATED (2009), SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE (2013), and THE INTERN (2015) - to name a few!
Which Meyers film is your favorite?
For more information on The Bridge Award for Screenwriting: aitaf.org/bridge-award-for-screenwriting
Check out the latest AITAF swag now available online!
store.aitaf.org
- AITAF Cotton Bandana designed by Jim Schuessler
- AITAF Pin with Butterfly Clip
Proceeds from every purchase from the Official AITAF Store go towards continuing our vital programming in the arts for our military. Thank you!
(Photos by Jenn Emerling)
In honor of Co-Founder Adam Driver's birthday, we're releasing this quick glimpse of AITAF, which debuted on Veterans Day 2020 as part of The Reel Thing - enjoy! And Happy Birthday Adam - thank you for your vision and leadership!
You can now view a replay of The Reel Thing online until December 31, 2020! All registered participants will receive the link to view, and if you’re not a registered participant, you can still receive the link by signing up for military registration (events.aitaf.org/products/thereelthing) or civilian registration (donate.aitaf.org/event/the-reel-thing/e301099) until 12/31/20!
Join Arts in the Armed Forces online this Veterans Day for a virtual conversation between Tom Hanks and General Charles Bolden about one of Tom's favorite films, Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Registration is free for military, Veterans, and their guests (registration link wi...
Last Wednesday, we celebrated Veterans Day by hosting an online Q&A with Tom Hanks facilitated by Major General Charles Bolden about one of Tom's favorite films, 2001: A Space Odyssey (Dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1968).
The conversation was very much in the spirit of the film - a moment of reflection on how far humans have come and a moment of acknowledging our exciting and hopeful collective future.
Tom shared why 2001: A Space Odyssey is so special to him and how the context of it being released in 1968 must be taken into consideration when analyzing the film. Tom was just a kid when he saw it, and everything about it confused and exhilarated him.
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"[Space is] our future. Without a doubt. We will fly to the moon on a passenger aircraft. We will dig around up there. We'll find minerals and mysteries, and we'll build cities. Because the human condition abhors the vacuum that is that of the undiscovered."
- Tom Hanks, Actor and Filmmaker
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Tom and Charles also spoke about the role that creativity plays in their respective lives, and they both emphasized the importance of connecting with each other through the most primal form of creativity - storytelling.
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"I know that there is a great bond that goes into just wearing the uniform. There's a great bond that comes by the sacrifice and the struggles. And just hearing Adam [Driver] in his opening remarks ask everybody to make sure you know where you are. Talk to each other. Seek each other out. Compare these notes on everything you've gone through. Because I think your average Veteran, man or woman, belongs to something so much greater than themselves. That is to be celebrated. And it's to be sought out again and again."
- Tom Hanks
Screening of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Kubrick, 1968) || Featuring post-film Q&A with Tom Hanks and Charles Bolden || Photos by Jenn Emerling
Screening of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Kubrick, 1968) || Featuring post-film Q&A with Tom Hanks and Charles Bolden || Photos by Jenn Emerling
Submissions for the inaugural Bridge Award for Screenwriting open on December 1st - just two weeks away!
This Award seeks to identify and encourage talented screenwriters/filmmakers from the military community. The winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000, an awards ceremony, and access to mentorship and/or professional development opportunities.
For information about the application process, including eligibility guidelines, click here: aitaf.org/bridge-award-for-screenwriting
We look forward to reading your work!
Please join us in welcoming Patricia McGregor as AITAF's inaugural Artist in Residence! We are thrilled to have Patricia join the AITAF team to help broaden our artistic programming over the next year!
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PATRICIA McGREGOR (she/her/hers). Born in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Patricia McGregor is a director and writer working in theater, TV/film and music. McGregor has twice been profiled by The New York Times for her direction of world premieres. Productions include LIGHTS OUT: NAT "KING" COLE (co-writer and director, Geffen Playhouse, People’s Light); SISTERS IN LAW (Wallis Annenberg), WHAT YOU ARE, MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, MEASURE FOR MEASURE (The Old Globe); SKELETON CREW (Geffen Playhouse); GOOD GRIEF (Center Theater Group); HAMLET (The Public Theater); PLACE (BAM); THE PARCHMAN HOUR (The Guthrie Theater); UGLY LIES THE BONE (Roundabout Theatre Company); BROWNSVILLE SONG... (Lincoln Center); INDOMITABLE: JAMES BROWN (The Apollo); HOLDING IT DOWN (Metropolitan Museum); A RAISIN IN THE SUN, THE WINTER'S TALE, SPUNK (California Shakespeare Theater); ADORATION OF THE OLD WOMAN (INTAR); BLOOD DAZZLER (Harlem Stage); FOUR ELECTRIC GHOSTS (The Kitchen) and the world premiere of HURT VILLAGE (Signature Theatre Company). She served as Associate Director of FELA! on Broadway.
For many years she has directed The 24-Hour Plays on Broadway. She served as director for HBO emerging writer’s showcase and tour consultant to Raphael Saadiq and J Cole. Her short film GOOD GRIEF will premiere this year. Additionally she was a directing shadow on HBO’s LOVECRAFT COUNTRY. She co-founded Angela’s Pulse with her sister, choreographer, and organizer Paloma McGregor, and sits on the advisory board of Adam Driver’s Arts In the Armed Forces and the Parent Artist Advocacy League as well as a Usual Suspect at New York Theater Workshop. McGregor attended the Yale School of Drama, where she was a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow and Artistic Director of the Yale Cabaret.
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Introducing the AITAF Archives - an exclusive look into some of our past performances. In this video, Francois Battiste performs a monologue from THE COLORED MUSEUM by George C. Wolfe at the 2013 Veterans Day Celebration on Broadway.
Congratulations to the 2020 Bridge Award Winner, Anton Sattler! "Sattler draws his characters with exacting nuance and complexity, eschewing sentimentalism; no one is a hero, but everyone is heroically human." - David Henry Hwang, 2020 Bridge Award Final Selecting Judge Check out the full announcement here: aitaf.org/2020-bridge-award-announcement
Thank you Rodri for sharing your #AITAFMemory with us! We're excited to announce that you've been selected to receive some special AITAF swag. #WednesdayMotivation
We are grateful for you sharing your experience with us, Christy! We're excited to announce that you've been selected to receive some special AITAF swag. We are still accepting videos, so please do send us your favorite AITAF memory! #FBF #AITAFMemory *** Have you ever attended an AITAF event? We'd love for you to film a short message sharing your experience. Please try to keep it under 1 minute, and please film horizontally, if possible. Please include your name, rank (if Military), which event you attended, and your favorite memory! We’d especially love to hear from our veteran and active duty audience members but welcome messages from any of you! We will randomly select some videos to share on our social media. If you're selected, you will also receive some new AITAF swag. Email your video to [email protected].
"[My dad's] military experience was something he never talked about. It was a part of him totally unknown to me and a part he seemed to feel uncomfortable with. These AITAF experiences, though, seemed to show him how diverse and inclusive the veteran identity can really be. In the car on our way home from the 2018 show, my dad really opened up to me in a way he never had before about his experience being drafted." Thank you Margaret for sharing this with us! We're excited to announce that you've been selected to receive some special AITAF swag. We are still accepting videos, so please do send us your favorite AITAF memory! #MondayMotivation #AITAFMemory *** Have you ever attended an AITAF event? We'd love for you to film a short message sharing your experience. Please try to keep it under 1 minute, and please film horizontally, if possible. Please include your name, rank (if Military), which event you attended, and your favorite memory! We’d especially love to hear from our veteran and active duty audience members but welcome messages from any of you! We will randomly select some videos to share on our social media. If you're selected, you will also receive some new AITAF swag. Email your video to [email protected].
In December 2019, Arts in the Armed Forces traveled to Camp Lemonnier Djibouti in Djibouti, Africa.
AITAF Alums Kerry Bishé, Norbert Leo Butz, Chris Lowell, and Michael James Shaw take the AITAF MRE Challenge in Djibouti, Africa.
Head to our Instagram and Twitter for updates from the event!
We’ve teamed up with Omaze to give you a chance to meet Adam Driver at the STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER premiere! All donations support Arts in the Armed Forces. Check out these red carpet tips from AITAF Founder Adam Driver... TO ENTER: omaze.com/adam
AITAF Alums Reed Birney and Constance Shulman take the AITAF MRE Challenge: Breakfast Edition! Thanks to West Point for donating the MREs! #AITAFMREChallenge
Thanks to West Point - The U.S. Military Academy for their gift of MRE’s, and many thanks to Alex Breaux and Darren Pettie for being such good sports! Darren is a Navy Veteran, and he never had to eat one while he served. The Marines with us especially enjoyed watching Darren take the MRE Challenge. Happy 4th of July everyone! #AITAFMREChallenge
In honor of #MemorialDay, we wanted to share this glimpse into our recent trip to the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center. We are deeply grateful for the extraordinary sacrifices made by our troops and their families. Today we honor and remember the fallen.
Congratulations to the 2019 Bridge Award Winner, Shairi Engle! "TAMPONS, DEAD DOGS, AND OTHER DISPOSABLE THINGS is a tough, disturbing, enraging, consistently surprising, smart, very funny and ultimately moving and revelatory play." - Tony Kushner, 2019 Bridge Award Final Selecting Judge Check out the full announcement here: www.aitaf.org/2019-bridge-award-winner-announcement
There are exactly 2 weeks left to submit for the 2019 Bridge Award! aitaf.org/bridge-award
Happy Holidays from Arts in the Armed Forces! Thank you for helping to make our 10th year one of the best ones yet! For those that missed it, or even those who were there, check out the highlights from our annual Veterans Day event on Broadway. We hope you’ll consider AITAF in your year-end giving this year; programming for 2019 is well underway, and we need your help to make it happen! (Music: Christina Courtin)
We are thrilled to make our first casting announcement for the upcoming Broadway event - a reading of TRUE WEST by Sam Shepard: Our founder, Adam Driver, will be performing the role of Austin! In celebration of this, we’re launching our AITAF anniversary video. Please like and share! Reminder - military tickets are now available! Civilians can attend by making a donation to AITAF. Go the FAQ section for more details: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aitafs-10th-annual-broadway-show-tickets-49694744318 ** This event is proudly sponsored by Bob Woodruff Foundation and Amazon Studios.
We are proud to announce the winner of AITAF’s First Annual 2018 Bridge Award: Vinnie Lyman, for his play, War Stories! Vinnie served two tours in Iraq with the 101st Airborne, and is now a special educator in Baltimore City. He is married and has two children. War Stories is his first play. We want to thank and congratulate everyone who submitted to the Bridge Award; we were incredibly moved by the hundreds of plays we read. There is no shortage of gifted writers in the military and we are honored to acknowledge your work. A huge thanks to head judge Suzan-Lori Parks, sponsors Lawrence Benenson and Elyse Harary and Samuel French. Congratulations as well to our finalists and semi-finalists. #AITAF #AdamDriver #SuzanLoriParks 2018 Bridge Award Winner: WAR STORIES by Vinnie Lyman Finalists: TRASH TALK by Alano P. Baez EXPOSURE by Cynthia Hines SMOKE by David Tucker A GIRL WITH A GUN by Suzanne Willett For more details visit our website https://aitaf.org/2018-aitaf-playwriting-award-winner/.
#fbf to our AMAZING send off by the West Point Cadets! West Point - The U.S. Military Academy
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