“We’re hoping to show that language is a powerful tool, that self-expression is a powerful tool — it’s just as valuable as any rifle you carry or any tool you can put in your pack.” Those are the words of Marine-turned-actor Adam Driver (Girls, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) introducing a US military audience to the theatrical performance they were about to see.

Driver is the founder of Arts in the Armed Forces, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing thought-provoking and impactful contemporary theater to American military personnel currently “in theater.”

VICE News followed Driver and his fellow actors (including Joanne Tucker, Natasha Lyonne, Eric Bogosian, Peter Scolari, Sasheer Zamata, and many more) on their first trip to the Middle East, where they struggle to broaden the offerings of on-base entertainment beyond country-western cover bands and the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.

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