Hipolito Arriaga and Anthony Torres of The Combat Hippies both recall a moment of enlightenment, when they began drawing links between the U.S. war machine and oppression and poverty at home. How do memories of military service continue to affect their art and activism? How did the Combat Hippies get started? What's to come? Following a successful run of their first full-length performance, Conscience Under Fire (2015), Hipolito and Anthony began planning a new performance, AMAL, with their mentor and leader, the award-winning actor and director Teo Castellanos. The performance deals with questions of military service, the ongoing refugee crisis, and under-represented Puerto Rican history (both artists are of Puerto Rican descent). Featuring spoken word poetry, Afro-punk-inspired music, and a full stage production, AMAL (which means "hope" in Arabic) will tour the U.S. in 2019.

S2 Episode 1: The Combat Hippies

Veteran Art Movement