TMI Project empowers teens & adults who don’t often get to tell their stories. The result is hysterical & poignant theater and contagious truth-telling!

Problem

TMI did a writing program at the Common Threads Youth Empowerment Workshop in Stony Point, NY. “Marisa” tells the story of sitting with her family for Christmas dinner. The grandfather proclaims, "If anyone in this family were gay, they would be dead to me." "Even if it were someone at this table, Grandpa?" "Yes, even at this table." She has lived in secret until her TMI workshop where she could share her story without fear of being disowned for being who she is. Marisa is not alone. Between 30 and 40% of homeless youths identify as LGBTQ because they are kicked out of their homes or because they feel so uncomfortable that they leave. Between 30 and 40% of LGB youth have attempted suicide. LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers.

Solution

In a nationwide survey by Kosciw and Diaz of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network it was found that LGBTQ “students in schools with Gay Straight Alliance (groups) and other similar peer-support groups were less likely to feel unsafe, less likely to miss school, and more likely to feel that they belonged at their school than students in schools with no such clubs.” TMI is seeking funding to bring its Page-to-Stage Workshop to LGBTQ teens in high school, homeless shelters and community organizations. LGBTQ teens will create monologues addressing issues that accompany gender and sexual identity, like: suicide, hate crimes, isolation, scorn, coming out, shame, social anxiety, dropping out and rejection from parents, family members and peers.

Example

Writing and improvisational exercises are tailored for this group of young people, providing a forum in which to speak the truth, find self-acceptance, and gain the support necessary to navigate their adolescence. The program will begin with a TMI performance of monologues by past participants so the students can see a model of the finished product. Previous participants will also serve as role models for the teens, giving them examples of the power of using ones voice and story to create inspirational change for others. Students will then work with the organization’s artistic team Eva Tenuto, Director, Sari Botton, writer/writing instructor, and Julie Novak, improv leader. Through improvisation, a series of writing prompts and activities they will find the story they need to tell. Instructors will assist in shaping their stories into powerful, theatrical monologues about the social challenges that they face. They will then perform their polished monologues for an invited audience. This in-depth residency will take Character Education to a whole new level, where children lead the way in taking a stand against hate, intolerance, and other destructive homophobic tendencies of bias and prejudice – while also taking a stand for themselves.

Marketplace

The Moth, Playback Theatre, and Risk are three organizations that are working in the field of storytelling for personal growth. The Moth has achieved much success and reaches far and wide. Playback Theatre is now international. And Risk is growing rapidly. In an age of Facebook, Twitter, Instant Messaging and Texting, there is a growing need for basic face-to-face communication. Humans crave it and the children who are growing up in this time need to be taught how to do it. What stands The TMI Project apart from these other organizations is the investment we make into each participant. Individuals are assisted in each phase of development – finding their story, telling their story and bringing their story to life. They are carried through a process with support and community, which