Spend a riveting half-hour listening to the success of Meade Palidofsky, a playwright and actress who decided to devote her life to changing juvenile offenders in prison. Through art, language, and catharsis, her stage company has transformed bleak, urban lives and fostered success, joy, and a renewed commitment to being positive. Hear from young former inmates, their performances, and an in-depth interview with this Chicago woman who is changing a lost generation.

Themes

• What is the special power of drama to illuminate solutions to social problems?
• How does a young adult end up in a juvenile detention center?
• How can activities such as involvement in a theater company benefit juvenile offenders?
• Do programs like this help curb repeat offenses, and keep young adults out of prison?

Theater is a wonderful vehicle because when you see theater, you identify with people on the stage, so if you can identify with their problems, you can also identify with their solutions.”

—Meade Palidofsky, founder and artistic director of Music Theatre Workshop, now Storycatchers Theatre