Vamos Theatre is the UK’s leading full mask company. In their latest show, A Brave Face, they’ve been working with Colchester’s Mercury Theatre as well as ex-soldiers in the town to explore Post Traumatic Stress in the military. We managed to catch-up with Vamos artistic director Rachael Savage to tell us more. A Brave Face runs at the Mercury from February 8 to 9. For tickets call 01206 573948.

Tell us a little about your new show?

“A Brave Face is set between 2009-2011 and is about three young lads from Middlesbrough who join the British Army in search for adventure and escape and find themselves in Afghanistan. The highest military recruitment level is thought to be from the North East of England probably targeted because of its high unemployment level.”

Where did the idea come from?

“I first read about Post Traumatic Stress in an article written by Simon Hattenstone in The Guardian which told the story of a family who came to understand their son was ill, an ex soldier Danny Fitzsimons who hid in a wheelie bin, after a family event where he’d become drunk and abusive. His father Eric told Danny he’d take him home, and after refusing, Eric waited until Danny came out of the bin, and then followed him for hours en route back to the house, doubling back and finally arriving. His father reported this as Danny “playing bloody soldiers”, but now knowing it was hyper-vigilance, reliving time during his tour of Afghanistan.

“After that I was lucky to meet Matthew Green, British journalist and author, at his book signing of Aftershock, which explores first-hand experience of war trauma. Matthew researched the effects of war over many years involving hundreds of interviews. All the research in Matthew’s book has been crucial, detailed information in helping to write A Brave Face.”

Was there anything that particularly surprised you about the research?

“Yes, how supermarkets come up time and time again because ex/soldiers living with PTS find supermarkets to be terrifying places. That’s because they can’t see round the isles, the maze is like the walls in Afghanistan streets, you can’t tell who, or where, the enemy is.

“It’s really hard for ex-soldiers to find work, they have particular skills that don’t fit easily back into civvy street and one such ex-soldier living with PTS found himself working in a supermarket as a cleaner. When his supervisor tapped him on the shoulder he clutched his mop like a riffle. Being tapped on the shoulder (a much used signal used during combat) can be a trigger for a flashback for people living with PTS.”

You’ve called yourself a civvy convert, what do you mean by that?

“I was a teenager in the Eighties and member of CND. I plastered my bedroom wall with political anti-war slogans and Meat is Murder, and went on political rallies and marches.

“Then in February last year, I lead a mask making residency with soldiers and ex-soldiers at Colchester’s Help for Heroes headquarters. We made masks together using heavy, noisy machinery. It’s roll your sleeves up, pummel clay, vac form and drill activity, and they were superb at it. During this week, every participant ‘pulled’ their own mask in our vacuum former and instead of undertaking most of the tricky jobs myself, as I normally do, such as drilling the eye holes, I immediately set them on it instead. These men were extraordinary. They’re given instructions, they listen and they replicate exactly. Not only that, they quickly found the most time efficient, accurate and effective way to carry it out. I soon recognised a skill set that matched mine in this task.

“After mask making, I shared with them the practice of mask performance and they shared some outrageous stories during their service. We talked about the pranks, the drills, they taught me to stand to attention. And then we talked.”

What do you hope to achieve with the tour most?

“16,000 to 18,000 people leave the military each year and the vast majority who leave rehabilitate well into Civvy Street. But we don’t know the true level of people leaving with PTS. What we do know is that in 2012, more British military and ex-military took their own lives than died on the battle field. Asking for help is the hardest part. People suffer for years, decades even, before coming forward. A Brave Face must be accurate, reflect their experiences and be truthful. It must be a story that speaks to soldiers and veterans and doesn’t let them down, as well as the wider audience.”