The first skit, called "The Coat," featured a protagonist in public housing who had recently come from a recovery program and whose social worker sent her off with medication but little other social support. At the end of the skit, this protagonist, Tanya, collapsed and died from heat stroke. Her neighbors didn't understand why she wore a winter coat on the hottest day of July, but instead of intervening, dismissed her as that "crazy lady."
Then it was time to flip the script: as the group began performing the skit again; as Tanya's social worker discharged her, spec-actors in the audience stopped the scene and had Tanya ask more questions about who would check up on her, and whom she could call for help. The "social worker" had to improvise her responses. She was nice, but honest that Tanya's insurance wouldn't cover home visits after a month. Then she gave Tanya a list of service providers she could call for help. Next, the group and spec-actors improvised a scene of Tanya calling down the list of these providers, looking for help with the side effects of her medicine. While Tanya was able to reach someone on the phone, the conversation that followed was not enough to help her get the help she needed. Andres reflected back to the audience that it is hard for many people to access social support, even if it does exist.
Over the afternoon, each group performed their skit, and then the spect-actors actively changed it. In one scene, about "Kerry," a woman who had begun to hear voices as a result of a traumatic brain injury, a doctor was challenged to treat her with more respect when the spec-actors added a supportive nurse character. In another scene, “Stacey,” a fourteen-year-old girl who was bullied at school and found solace in talking to people she didn’t know over the internet, found new support when the spect-actors added people in various parts of the scene (a concerned teacher, a concerned father), as well as suggesting to Stacey to reach out to her dad about her day at school. These proposed solutions changed the story so that “Stacey” was able to stay away from predators.
In yet another scene, “Sarah,” a woman who struggled with mental illness, was evicted due to a group of neighbors that were very judgmental and not understanding, yet when the spec-actors added a new neighbor, she was able to facilitate communication between “Sarah” and the other characters. In another scene, “Emily,” a foster teenager living with her grandmother and uncle, was able to avoid killing herself in the retake, at least temporarily, because the spect-actors added a classmate able to listen to her and help diffuse the tension by going for a walk.
Every participant had a different comfort level in speaking up to stop a scene and make changes, and in improvising new storylines. But, in the small-group debriefing sessions that followed, all the participants had a chance to say what they had learned through the exercise, and how they thought that, individually and collectively, we can deal with stigma. When all the participants came together again, the conversation centered on how to take what we experienced today and use it in real life. Participants saw that not only professional service providers, but neighbors, friends, and family are crucial in person's mental health. Listening, and offering a supportive word or presence, went a long way in helping our protagonists face oppression. We also saw that making one small change didn't necessarily solve the problem, because the actors and spec-actors didn't idealize human beings or social structures. Stigma, oppression, and discrimination can't be eliminated all at once.
In the past year, the Health Disparities Committee has committed to addressing stigma and discrimination through workshops like this, to build solidarity and relationships across the stigmatizing characteristics and conditions that keep our community divided. Incorporating the spirit of social movements like Occupy Wall Street and Occupy DC, the committee explains how stigma divides members of the 99%, weakening our ability to organize and challenge the 1% for the resources we all need to be healthy and happy.
The day closed with three speakers actively involved in that ongoing battle: Wallace Kirby of the PEERS Coalition, a group of formerly incarcerated activists and their allies who work to change the criminal justice system's treatment of people with mental illness; Gail Avent, founder of Total Family Care Coalition, an advocacy group that helps families in the DC area access community services and resources; and Michelle Beadle-Holder of the MWPHA Health Disparities Committee, who encouraged anyone interested to join the committee and help plan events like this, and in particular to join us for the We Can End AIDS Mobilization on July 24. Each speaker shared some of their personal story that led them to become activists and community organizers. The day closed out with one final improv exercise in which participants were asked to yell out some of the emotions that came up during the workshop: hope, freedom, courage, stress, pain, creativity, frustration, peace, anger, and love. Then five volunteers created a repetitive sound and movement in response to one of the emotions they heard being shouted. They continued this for a few seconds to playback these feelings back to the participants.
As participants said their goodbyes, it was obvious how well the workshop had brought people together. People who had never met hugged and exchanged phone numbers and email addresses, and thanked the facilitators and especially Andres for an amazing experience.
If you want to learn more about this workshop, or are interested in having a workshop created for your organization, feel free to contact Andres at Andres@prometheancommunity.com
Special thanks to Andres Marquez-Lara and Karyn Pomerantz for their edits and contributions to this article.
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