Herberger Institute Professor Liz Lerman is a choreographer, performer, writer, teacher, and speaker. She has spent the past four decades making her artistic research personal, funny, intellectually vivid, and up to the minute. A key aspect of her artistry is opening her process to everyone from shipbuilders to physicists, construction workers to ballerinas, resulting in both research and experiences that are participatory, relevant, urgent, and usable by others.

Above: An interview with Liz Lerman about the inception of Healing Wars.

Dance Professor Keith Thompson serves as the assistant director of the dance program and associate professor in the School of Music, Dance and Theatre and as the Center for Race and Democracy’s inaugural faculty resident artist. Notably, Thompson is one of the nation’s most distinguished dance artists and is recognized for his role with Trisha Brown Dance Company, his company danceTactics, his collaborations with Herberger Institute Professor Liz Lerman, and shifting public vocabulary about dance.

Above: An excerpt of the interview with director Keith Thompson about this production of Healing Wars. To listen to the full interview click here.

The American Civil War began in April of 1861, following decades of rising tensions between northern and southern states over slavery, states' rights, and westward expansion. The 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln caused eleven southern states to secede and form the Confederate States of America, opposed by the 20 Union states. Fifty major battles and 100 significant battles were fought in three theaters; the Eastern Theater, the Western Theater, and the Trans-Mississippi Theater. The War ended in Confederate surrender in April of 1865, resulting in freedom for more than four million enslaved Americans, a more centralized federal government, and a commitment to a unified nation. In the aftermath, the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments were ratified into the Constitution. The deadliest war on American soil, over 600,000 soldiers died - on the battlefield, as prisoners, of disease, and even in their homes after the war.

The U.S. War in Afghanistan took place from 2001 to 2021, following the September 11 attacks executed by the militant network al-Qaeda. It began when the United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan to topple the Taliban government, and since then remained a matter of rebuilding and establishing a new Afghan government. The longest war in U.S. history (surpassing the Vietnam War by five months), the war ended on August 30, 2021. The War in Afghanistan killed 176,000 people in Afghanistan, including 46,319 civilians, and displaced over 2.6 million Afghans as refugees and 4 million Afghans as internally displaced persons.
Prior to the War in Afghanistan was the Iraq War from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion of Iraq by a United States-led coalition which overthrew the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein. Though troops were officially withdrawn in 2011, the U.S. became re-involved in 2014 as part of the George W. Bush administration's War on Terror.

This production of Healing Wars was made possible through the effort of many student artists committed to telling a necessary, but often painful, story. To learn more about the experience of bringing Healing Wars to life, click here.

The stage performance of Healing Wars is accompanied by a walkable exhibit, “The Preamble,” which guides audience members through a variety of rooms which each represent aspects of The Civil War. Follow this link to learn more about each of The Preamble sites.