There is nothing like live theater to draw in an audience. Even the most tech-addicted kids are captured by the magic of live theater. What if, instead of videos, YouTube, and other media, a community-based, grassroots campaign to provide tools and education to our client communities was launched using live performances as the vehicle for teaching and awareness? This workshop will explore and expand upon one such effort and provide inspiration for you to create creative projects in your clinic and community.
“No. Is a Complete Sentence” is the roadshow production of the Elder & Health Law Clinic at McGeorge School of Law, in collaboration with Capitol Stage, one of Sacramento’s theater companies. It has been taken to senior centers, churches, community centers, and other locations accessible to the community. An abbreviated version will be presented in this workshop by using two vignettes presented by professional actors based on actual clinic cases. The audience will be introduced in “Take 1” to examples of how elder financial abuse is perpetrated performed by the actors. Workshop participants will then go to small groups in break-out rooms with one of the actors and one of the clinicians. This will include a guided discussion of the scene and a brainstorming session to create new possible scenarios resulting in advice to the “victim” on how to resist undue influence and financial abuse. All participants return to the full group to share ideas and strategies, followed by the actors performing “improv” versions of some of the ideas. “Take 2” follows the same structure and utilizes strategies identified to resist fraud and undue influence, resulting in a better outcome for the elder.
The final component is a large group discussion and brainstorm session to help participants think through possible creative ideas in their own community. This will include ideas for community partners, tips for developing creative projects, other examples of community education, as well as the nuts and bolts of creating a theatrical production. Participants will receive scripts, programs, and other documents used in the production.