by 
We are writing and producing a play about people here in Minnesota who provide care to others. Please join us for a two-hour story circle to share your experience and hear others’.
Who is a caregiver? Anyone who has spent a lot of time – recently or in the past – giving care to another, whether as a profession, in family, or in community. We are most interested in caregiver stories that aren’t usually told in mainstream media.
Upcoming story circles
We have seven more story circles in August and September. Each is focused on a different kind of care provider, but all of them are open to anyone who provides care, regardless of the role. So don’t worry if you can’t attend the one focused on your role, just attend the one that fits your schedule! Download a printable PDF of all the details below here.
| Wed, Aug 23, 6:30-8:30 pm | Social service (All job titles, all settings) |
| Thur, Aug 31, 6:30-8:30 pm | Educational settings (Teachers, paras, counselors, principals, all ages) |
| Tue, Sep 5, 6:30-8:30 pm | Volunteers (Any kind of volunteer work that offers help/care to others) |
| Thur, Sep 7, 6:30-8:30 pm | Residential care (Institutional and group homes; memory, senior, recovery, behavioral health, disability, transition, etc.) |
| Tue, Sep 12, 6:30-8:30 pm | Mental health work (Practitioners of all titles, support staff, crisis lines, etc.) |
| Thur, Sep 14, 6:30-8:30 pm | Medical workers and first responders (Any job title, any setting) |
| Sat, Sep 16, 10am-12pm | Any and all kinds of people offering care |
What’s a story circle?
- We will ask some open-ended questions, then go around a circle giving each person a chance to tell a story from their experience.
- Share as much or as little as you want. If you don’t feel like sharing you can just listen.
- Nobody’s stories or experiences will be used in the play directly like a documentary – they’ll be blended together into a fictional story.
About our work
For all our projects, we start by picking a community of people here in Minnesota with stories that are relevant to all of us but unknown to many of us. We gather stories from people in that community, and then we blend them together into a fictional play. We share drafts of the play in public readings for feedback, and we invite community members to perform in the play alongside professional performers when we finally produce it. It usually takes about two years.
About this project
The last three years have magnified for many of us just how fragile the systems of care are in this country. Weaving together stories from caregivers here in Minnesota, we will create a fictional play that asks the question, “What does a community of care look like?” Story circles will wrap up in September. Then we will write a first draft and share it in a public reading this Fall. We’ll do more rewrites Spring 2024 and present another reading in Summer. Finally, we’ll cast the play with a mix of professional artists and people from the caregiver community interested in performing. We’ll start rehearsing in August and present the play to the public in October 2024. Caregivers can get involved at any phase of the project.