Quote of the Day: 17 People die every day waiting for an organ transplant. One donor can heal up to 75 lives through eye and tissue donation. One donor can save up to 8 lives through organ donation. Statistics from LifeSource. 

I have The Tin Woman on my must-see list this spring, but am unable to attend opening weekend, so I’m highlighting their press release and mission to get the word out about this important theatrical production.

100 PERCENT HUMAN THEATRE PRESENTS:
The Tin Woman

Opening Friday, April 4
Playing through Sunday, April 13
at The Historic Mounds Theatre in St Paul

(St Paul) – Near midnight, a few days before Christmas in a small bland room of Regions Hospital, Joy and Michael Donley numbly said “yes” to donating their 16-year-old son’s eyes and tissues after he died by suicide a few hours before. Lewis had not yet earned his driver’s license, so didn’t have the opportunity to declare himself a donor upon his death. That night was a dreadful, jarring introduction to organ donation.

The Donleys were gently guided through the process by a representative from LifeSource, the Midwest’s organ procurement organization. Their darkest night held the hope of bringing life to someone else. In fact, a few years later the Donleys received a letter from a recipient of Lewis’s tissue donation: a young man who had ACL surgery on his knee, who went on to win his high school’s district basketball championship. To know a piece of their son was still living on earth was a balm to the Donleys’ souls.

Now 8 ½ years later, Joy Donley, a theatre director from Maplewood, is taking her grief and turning it into a theatrical mission. “The purpose of The Tin Woman play project is to engage audiences with an entertaining show that will encourage them to sign up to become organ donors,” Donley says. Her theatre company, 100 Percent Human Theatre, is partnering with LifeSource to provide opportunities for audiences to hear real-life donation stories. “I contacted LifeSource two years ago and asked if they’d ever used theatre as a way to spread their message,” Donley says, “and they were greatly interested.” The timeliness of the show is key, because April is National Donate Life Month, and audience members can register on the spot to become donors.

The Tin Woman by Sean Grennan is a comedic drama about a young woman named Joy who receives a heart transplant. Instead of relishing life after her surgery Joy enters a downward spiral. Meanwhile, Alice and Hank mourn the loss of their son, Jack, whose heart was used to save Joy. At a friend’s urging, Joy tracks down Jack’s family to find closure and a tempestuous meeting ensues, resulting in a roller coaster of tears, laughter, letting go and finding new life.

The cast features Elizabeth Efteland (Joy), Greta Grosch (Darla/Nurse), Dorian Chalmers (Alice), Matt Berdahl (Jack), Stephanie Wipf (Sammy) and Doug Thompson (Hank). The crew is Kathryn Humnick (Stage manager), Granville Ashling(Lighting design), Nate Farley (Set design), Michael Pearce Donley (Sound design), Kris Livingston (Costume design) and Joy Donley (Director).

The play is a fiscally sponsored project of Springboard for the Arts, and will feature “add-on” events for audiences, such as Friday night post-show live trivia games with Fifty Hats Games and Saturday night post-show Q&As with LifeSource representatives, donor family & recipients, plus actors.

Performances are April 4-6 & 10-13 at 7:30pm, and April 5 & 12 at 2:30pm at the Historic Mounds Theatre, 1029 Hudson Road in St. Paul. Tickets are $25-$35 at www.100percenthumantheatre.com.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt: Are you an organ donor? Do you know anyone who has been involved with organ donation?