For Canadian Artist Nick, the battlefield is a canvas.
Stratford Festival has announced a new play in its current line-up called The Art Of War by playwright Yvette Nolan.
The play follows Nick, an artist sent to the front lines in the Second World War to observe and capture the lived experiences of the Canadian soldiers who fought in the war by painting.
The festival says while he wears an army uniform, Nick stands out from the other soldiers.
“As a war artist, he shoulders the unique responsibility of bearing witness to both the realities of combat and the humanity within it – the hopes and fears of Canada’s soldiers,” said the festival.
“What he sees and translates to canvas becomes more than art. It becomes memory and testimony.”
The play will explore the toll of war, the power of creative expression, and the way Canada began to see itself in a postwar world.
It stars Josue Laboucane as Nick, and is directed by Keith Barker.
The Art Of War opens in the Studio Theatre on Aug. 20, where it’ll run performances until Sept. 27.
