James River Voices
I've gathered the voices of many people impacted by a Richmond crime as a pilot project for community dialogue theater. With collaborators, I'll write and produce a play that mixes voices of the community with storytelling about history, race, violence, poverty, hope and community.
About You
Section 1: About You
First Name
Linda
Last Name
O'Brien
Website
Organization
Center for Justice and Peacebuilding
Country
United States
Section 2: About Your Organization
Organization Name
Center for Justice and Peacebuilding
Organization Website
Organization Phone
Phone: (540) 432-4490
Organization Address
1200 Park Road Harrisonburg, VA 22802
Organization Country
United States
Your idea
Name Your Project
James River Voices
What is your idea? What makes it innovative? Why is it important?
I've gathered the voices of many people impacted by a Richmond crime as a pilot project for community dialogue theater. With collaborators, I'll write and produce a play that mixes voices of the community with storytelling about history, race, violence, poverty, hope and community.
Will you launch your idea as a business or non-profit?
Non-profit
Country your work focuses on
United States
What will be the impact of your idea?
Media typically only covers the incidents and details of crime, not the causes. The impact of the project will be to raise awareness of the roots of urban crime, to expand the honest and diverse dialogue from newspaper websites on violence, poverty, crime, drugs, race, and youth to a live performance and public forum for shared community concerns, griefs and hopes. The play would be performed at theaters, public schools and universities where a panel of police, family members, teachers and lawyers would facilitate discussion and shared storytelling.
Who will help you develop your idea? Why are you the one to make this happen?
I am the one to make this happen because I have gathered stories of many people impacted by a particular crime as well as swatches of racial history, and information on Richmond neighborhood poverty, violence, drugs, guns and youth. I have contacts at the Richmond Peace Education Center, with faculty at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University where I am a graduate student, with both professionals involved in Restorative Justice, with Michael Herring, the chief Richmond D.A., with faculty and graduate students of the Community Dialogue theater program at Virginia Tech, with journalists who have written about the crime, with one of the teachers of the convicted youth, and with one of the youth convicted of the crime. Because the victim of the crime was an outstanding art student with an identical twin brother, and the perpetrators were three African-American youth, drug users and school drop-outs, the crime received tremendous media coverage in newspapers, magazines, and websites.
How much will it cost to launch your idea? (This can be an estimate)
Minor costs involved would be for travel expenses to Richmond to gather video interviews along with historical research and information on race, crime, and neighborhoods to collaboratively develop a play first for a new play competition by Richmond's Firehouse Theater. I would donate much of my time, as would many of my consultants and collaborators. Major cost would involve initiating a new component of the Virginia Tech theater program to train directors from Richmond area schools, colleges, youth and neighborhood associations and churches in community dialogue theater and provide on-going support for original theater productions to address community concerns, represent community voices, and encourage community dialogue.
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