In Part 1, we explored Brian Redmond’s nine years of Army service, his combat experiences in Iraq, and how military conditioning affected his ability to process emotions and maintain civilian relationships. Part 2 examines his journey into acting and how creative expression became a pathway from mission-focused survival to meaningful healing.
After leaving the Army in 2009, Brian Redmond faced the psychological aftermath of service. Hypervigilance, emotional suppression, the habit of not processing grief followed him home.
“Military life makes you careless because you’ve already gone through loss and you can handle loss,” he says. “You definitely sabotage relationships, especially when you come into contact with those who have no idea what military life is about.” In 2018, nearly a decade later, he found an outlet he didn’t expect: acting.
The Call to Create
Redmond’s interest in performing arts actually predated his military service. “I’ve always wanted to act. In high school, I got accepted into performing arts, but the school didn’t have a basketball team and I wanted to play basketball.”
That teenage choice to prioritize sports over arts would prove significant. When the opportunity to act presented itself years later through a friend’s connection, Redmond was ready in ways he couldn’t have been as a teenager.
“The opportunity presented itself for a short film in 2021 called ‘Two Sides of Glory.’ It was a small role. Meeting Carolyn Caldwell in the theater helped me finally do what I love.”
Learning the Craft
Redmond’s first experience with film work taught him the technical differences between stage and screen acting. “It was new, and it’s definitely different. Behind the camera and acting on the stage – you have a camera in your face versus being on stage where you’re projecting to the audience.”
The precision required reminded him of military attention to detail. “You have to be mindful of continuity, down to whether the cup’s level matches when the scene resets.”
These technical requirements felt familiar to someone trained in military precision, but the emotional demands would prove more challenging.
Theater as Therapy
Redmond’s first major stage role came in 2024 with “Acts of Forgiveness,” written by Carolyn Caldwell and produced by Big Faith Productions. He played Tyshawn, a drug dealer trying to turn his life around during a personal crisis.
“The role was relatable because it’s something I’d been around,” he says. “I grew up in inner-city Paterson, New Jersey. I’d been around drugs and violence in certain areas, so the role wasn’t hard. I knew what this looked like.”
But the real revelation came in how the acting process allowed him to access emotions that military training had conditioned him to suppress.
“Understanding the character – what is it that he’s dealing with? What’s the pain? What does it feel like to be this person? What does struggle look like in real time?” Redmond discovered that embodying these characters gave him permission to explore feelings that had been off-limits for years.
Processing Through Performance
The therapeutic aspect of acting became most apparent in “We All Have a Cross to Bear Volume 2,” where Redmond played Trent, a recovering alcoholic lawyer who discovers he had a child he never knew about.
“Playing a recovering alcoholic brought about the reality of how grief and life’s impacts have power over people,” he explains. “Even though this is a play, we don’t know what our audience members are going through. These are things that we either want to go back to or want to move forward from.”
The role forced him to confront his own relationship with emotional processing. “Finding out I had a child brought me back into drinking in the play. The role forced me to access real emotions I still carry.”
The Military Advantage in Acting
Paradoxically, the same military conditioning that complicated Redmond’s civilian relationships gave him advantages as a performer.
“The discipline from the military carries over. When it’s showtime, you lock in and do the job. Compartmentalization helps with character work too. I can give a production what it needs while still bringing real parts of myself to the role.”
Community and Healing
Working with Carolyn Caldwell and Big Faith Productions provided more than just acting opportunities – it created a supportive community for exploration and growth.
“The opportunity came through a mutual friend who put in the group chat, ‘Hey, I have a friend who’s looking for a male actor for this role,'” Redmond recalls. “Meeting Carolyn was like, ‘Okay, this is it’ – not knowing what to expect. We did the audition and she said, ‘We want you to do it.’ And so it opened doors to everything else that has happened.”
What makes Big Faith Productions unique, according to Redmond, is their willingness to invest in people without extensive resumes. “They took a chance on me to put me in front of however many people were there, and they put their name to performers with no real acting school, no training, just talent.”
The productions themselves carry meaningful messages about forgiveness and redemption. “It’s their heart for people and wanting to not only have the performance, but the message behind it that is able to reach others. The title itself – Acts of Forgiveness – forgiveness is not just Christian, it’s human. They’re willing to trust what they’re doing and put out productions that end up winning awards.”
Art as Outlet for Veterans
“Acting can heal or it can reopen wounds. You become the character’s mind and body. For veterans, that can help you speak what you’ve suppressed or it can take you back to places you’re not ready to revisit. Knowing where you are emotionally matters.”
This insight comes from hard-won experience of using creative expression to process military trauma while maintaining psychological safety.
Breaking the Silence
One of the most powerful aspects of Redmond’s theatrical work has been its ability to create space for conversations about experiences that military culture typically silences.
“Most people have no idea what went on besides what movies show you, and it’s nowhere near what actually happened,” he says. Sharing his story through performance and interviews allows him to educate civilians about realities they might never otherwise understand.
The authenticity he brings to roles comes from lived experience. “Whatever role you see me in, I’ve experienced a portion of what it is that I’m portraying. There’s some truth and there’s some experience in what you see, so it’s relatable.”
Writing the Next Chapter
Redmond’s artistic aspirations extend beyond acting into writing, specifically focusing on relationship guidance for veterans and civilians alike.
“There’s a lot to be said, and I have a lot to say,” he explains. “Being able to help with marriage, helping vets and helping those who are not in the military navigate through their relationships with one another.”
His planned self-help book would address the unique challenges military conditioning creates in civilian relationships – territory that remains largely unexplored in popular relationship advice. The book would include practical guidance on recognizing and addressing relationship patterns that military service creates.
Current Work and Future Projects
As Redmond prepares for “We All Have a Cross to Bear Volume 3,” written and produced by Nissi Roberts, he continues exploring roles that allow him to process complex emotions in supportive environments.
“The biggest thing for me is just the audience being able to witness the surprises that take place,” he says about the upcoming production. “The title itself – we all have a cross to bear – is about forgiveness. We have to forgive one another and tell our stories of what happened.”
The themes of redemption and second chances resonate deeply with someone who’s experienced the challenge of transitioning from military to civilian life. “At the end of the day, it’s a choice whether you accept forgiveness or not. The audience gets to see how everything comes full circle.”
Advice for Other Veterans
For veterans considering creative expression but unsure where to start, Redmond’s advice is direct: “Don’t be afraid. Just do it.”
He emphasizes the importance of recognizing that survival itself is a victory worth sharing. “The biggest victory is having the title that you’re still living.” Research and preparation matter, but the willingness to try matters more.
The Ongoing Impact
For Redmond, acting has become a different kind of mission – one that uses the discipline and resilience military service built in him, but redirects it toward healing rather than survival.
“A diagnosis doesn’t define you. Whether it’s PTSD or other things that veterans deal with – especially mental, emotional, and physical issues – it doesn’t define who you genuinely are. There’s nothing that you can’t put your mind to, nothing that you can’t do. It just takes willingness to try.”
The message extends beyond veterans to anyone facing challenges. “At the end of the day, we all go through things. We need help. Communication is important. Being there for one another, being someone they can cry to, someone to help them get through whatever they’re going through.”
Personal Relationships and Growth
The healing Redmond has found through acting hasn’t erased the relationship challenges military conditioning created, but it has given him insight into patterns he wants to change.
“Having that military mindset causes you to overlook red flags sometimes,” he acknowledges. “Being hypervigilant, wanting to make things work, but also having to protect yourself.”
Understanding these patterns is the first step toward changing them. Acting has given him a safe space to explore emotions and relationship dynamics that military culture discouraged. “Walking away without a conversation leaves the other person baffled. That is the military reflex at work: when you’re trained not to grieve, you don’t pause for endings.”
The Message He Wants to Leave
When Redmond reflects on what he hopes audiences take from his work, his answer centers on authenticity and connection.
“This is me. I walk it, like I talk it. And even though this is acting, there’s some truth and there’s some experience in what you see. Whatever role you see me in, I’ve experienced a portion of what it is that I’m portraying. It’s relatable.”
His ultimate goal as a performer is impact rather than recognition. “If it’s only one person that’s affected by it, touched by it, then the job is done.”
Looking Forward
The young man who learned to suppress grief, to prioritize mission over emotion, to sacrifice personal needs for unit cohesion, has found a way to channel those same qualities into creating space for the very emotions military culture taught him to deny.
It’s not a complete healing – Redmond still deals with hypervigilance, still struggles with the relationship patterns military conditioning created. But theater has given him something the military never could: permission to feel, express, and process the full weight of what service asked him to carry.
“What doesn’t kill you can make you stronger, depending on how much you allow it to shape your everyday life,” he reflects. “So I pray that people take away the principle that we have to walk in forgiveness.”
Redmond’s journey offers something more complex than typical military stories – a roadmap for how veterans can use creative expression to bridge the gap between who the military made them and who they’re becoming in civilian life.
For Redmond, that bridge now runs through the stage – a place where the mission finally becomes about healing rather than surviving, where the discipline that once served war now serves art, and where the stories that military culture demands stay buried can finally find their voice.
Brian Redmond’s journey demonstrates that creative expression can provide veterans with outlets for experiences that military culture often demands stay silent – proving that the discipline and resilience built through service can become tools for healing rather than just survival.
Resources for Veterans & Mental Health Support
Crisis Support
- Veterans Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 | Text 838255 | veteranscrisisline.net – 24/7 confidential support
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Dial 988 – Available nationwide for anyone in crisis
Trauma & PTSD Support
- Vet Centers: va.gov/find-locations – Community-based counseling for combat veterans and trauma survivors
- Give an Hour: giveanhour.org – Free mental health services for veterans and families
- National Center for PTSD: ptsd.va.gov – Education and treatment resources
Relationship & Family Support
- Military Family Life Counselors (MFLC): Free, confidential counseling for military families
- Team Red White & Blue: teamrwb.org – Community building and support for veteran social connections
- Military OneSource: militaryonesource.mil – 24/7 support for service members and families
Creative Expression & Therapy
- Veterans Writing Project: veteranswriting.org – Community and resources for veteran writers and storytellers
- Military Veterans in the Arts: mvarts.org – Networking and opportunities for veterans in creative fields
- Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP): asapdc.org – Programs connecting veterans with professional arts training
Theater & Performance Opportunities
- Big Faith Productions, Charlotte, NC – Community theater creating opportunities for diverse performers
- Local community theaters – Many offer veteran-specific programs and workshops
- Spoken word venues – Open mic nights and poetry slams as starting points for performance
Connect with Brian Redmond:
- Current Productions: “We All Have a Cross to Bear” Volume 3 with Nissi Roberts
- Previous Work: “Acts of Forgiveness” (2023), “We All Have a Cross to Bear” Volume 2
- Background: Army Logistics Specialist (92A), 9 years service including Iraq deployments