This is a great play with a very strong message.  Below is a bit more information on the “To Whom I May Concern” concept along with the group who performed this particular session.  Please not the first 5 minutes of the recording is a bit scratchy but improves greatly after that.  I personal think it is worth everyone’s time to watch.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/PXn9AmFHGUM]

This video is a recording of the March 27 A Meeting of the Minds, where the first online play of To Whom I May Concern premiered. The video includes a 4-minute introduction to set the context for the play, the recording of the play, and the Talk Back session between the audience and the cast.

To Whom I May Concern is an interactive theatre project, where the stories of people with dementia are respectfully gathered and become the basis for the script of a play. The play is performed by a group of people with dementia, typically the same people from whom the stories originated.

The plays, usually performed live, provide a forum for people with dementia to communicate their thoughts, ideas, feelings and frustrations to the audience in an informal setting, and the Talk Back session that follows allows two-way communication between the cast and the audience to talk about what they just experienced. To Whom I May Concern is the brainchild of Maureen Matthews, and the website is www.towhomimayconcern.org.

The play in this recording is the first online performance of To Whom I May Concern, and was done in Google Hangouts, with each cast member playing their part from their own computers. Cast members are from various locations in the USA. Stories were also gathered from this same group via meetings in Google Hangouts, email, and the telephone.

A Meeting of the Minds is a monthly webinar for people with dementia and others meeting the challenges of dementia. Facilitated by Laura Bowley and Richard Taylor, the website is www.meeting-minds.com.

Dementia Chats, which is a FREE webinar session might be another great resource for you to learn.  We do these twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month, but all are recorded. Just click on the logo above and it will take you to the website which hosts more information on the webinars, along with the recorded sessions and how you can participate in the live programs allowing you to ask your questions directly. Here is our last session.  Just click on the photo below.