DE-CRUIT, Inc. in partnership with New York City Department of Veterans' Services will present the DE-CRUIT program, which uses theater—specifically Shakespeare—to address trauma and mental needs in veterans. DE-CRUIT is an evidence-based, veteran-led program that uses principles from classical actor training, techniques of grounding and breathing, and experiential analysis of Shakespeare’s verse to build camaraderie among the group members and to foster individual and collective healing. Participants will use the Shakespearean monologue form to construct personal trauma narratives which they will share with other veterans in the group and ultimately with the broader civilian community through a culminating performance to an invited audience.