Treasure Maps: The Georgia Storytelling Roadshow 2021
Treasure Maps is a pop-up, interactive, drive-in theatre! The Treasure Maps drive-in show will include live-local hosts, installations and safe interactive activities. The roadshow feature is the film screening of Treasure Maps on the big screen. Treasure Maps showcases a collection of 10 Georgia Storytellers’ Life Maps which provide an up-close and personal viewpoint into what it's like navigating the complex webs of life in our communities as a person with a developmental disability.
The show will tour six cities across the state of Georgia – Atlanta, Dahlonega, Augusta, Savannah, Macon and Albany – in late June and early July.
Treasure Maps will be a safe, outdoor activity. The audience will enjoy the show from their own vehicles and masks are required if you exit your vehicle. If you have any questions or concerns about the safety of a show in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, please contact us at ddstorytellingga@gmail.com.
“The primary objective of this project,” said Shannon M. Turner, Founder and Creative Director of StoryMuse, “is to provide a virtual stage for the important stories of people with developmental disabilities, inviting their stories in from the margins to the center of our communities. But an equally important component is to provide education and advocacy to the general population and legislators around the Medicaid waiver, a vital funding structure which supports the lives of people with developmental disabilities so they can live independently.”
Did you miss the Treasure Maps Workshop and Information Session held on February 25th?
Click here to access the Workshop Recording.
Access Passcode is CMya37V&
We are looking for 10 people with developmental disabilities to be Storytellers in the Treasure Maps roadshow. Join us for an information session and apply on February 25th at 5 pm. Learn about the roadshow, storytelling and how you can be a part of the fun!
The details:
When:
- Informational Workshop - Thursday, February 25 Register here!
- March and April - story development
- May - filming & editing, community venue development
- June - rehearsals & first performances
- July - final performances
Where:
- Initial story development workshops and coaching - entirely virtual!!
- Filming - on location
- Performances - Atlanta, Dahlonega, Albany, Savannah, Augusta, Macon
- Storytellers are welcome but not required to travel to shows
More about Being a Storyteller
Treasure Maps: The Georgia Storytelling Roadshow 2021 is a series of drive-in performances held in six target cities across Georgia and showcasing the story performances of 10 people from across the state with developmental disabilities. Being responsive to the social activities and safety of the general public, this project aims to engage with people in an interactive and in-person way while upholding standard social distancing practices.
The goal of the project is to create a platform that increases the awareness of the general public and legislators of the stories of people with disabilities and to increase participation in GCDD's grassroots advocacy efforts for better budget and policy decisions on the state level.
This goal will be accomplished through the following major activities: The Treasure Maps team will lead 10 storytellers with disabilities through a series of storytelling workshops culminating in their "treasure map stories." Each participant will have their treasure map story recorded on video, and the stories will be edited together to form the main exhibit of each show.
The six shows will be held in strategic cities across Georgia and will feature interactive components for the audience with the storytellers through audio and live interactions. The shows will be produced in collaboration with local community members to accomplish location, promotional and logistic activities. Each show will be co-hosted by a storyteller "the Show Marshal," a local community member, and a Treasure Maps team member. The show will run approximately an hour and a half and will include a direct advocacy action at the conclusion.
At the heart of this work are the "Life Maps," where participants are led through a process of creating a visual map of their lives and histories. Inspired by these maps, the project foregrounds the experiences and lives of people with developmental disabilities as buried treasures that will be unearthed and celebrated through expressive performance.
Storytellers: The Storytellers in the show will be 10 individuals with developmental disabilities who represent the different regions and diversity of the state of Georgia. At the project beginning, there will be a virtual introduction workshop held where interested individuals will attend to learn about the show, participation and the process. From this initial workshop, potential participants will be invited to apply to be a storyteller with the show. Once the 10 storytellers are selected, they will go through a series of workshops and individual story coaching sessions to create their story treasure maps which will be in the main event of each show. A stipend will be made available to each storyteller for supportive use in participation.
Local Committees: Involvement of local community members is integral to the success of the show. At project start, the Storytelling Team will conduct outreach activities to the six communities and identify/recruit individuals who will make up the local community members committee. These individuals will serve the purpose of locally legitimizing each show as well as providing knowledge of best local venues, potential partner organizations, and using their local networks for show promotion. They will also be responsible for securing match services including a photographer and headsets for the show. Additionally, one local community member will be a co-host at the show.
The Storytelling Team: The Storytelling team will lead the production and execution phases of the project. The Storytelling team includes Irene Turner, Storytelling Project Director, and Shannon M. Turner, as Creative Director of the 2021 Storytelling Project.
Treasure Maps: The Georgia Storytelling Roadshow will be a series of drive-in performances held in 6 target cities across Georgia and will showcase the stories of 10 people from across the state with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Each performance will include video performances from the ten storytellers and will have interactive components with the audience. Each show location will be co-hosted by a Show Marshal (a storyteller in the show from the local community) and a Local Cohost (a local community leader with broad appeal/charisma). The show starts before the audience member gets to the venue. The audience will be given access to a podcast that will feature a storyteller setting the stage for the audience to get inside the lives and experience of people with I/DD. The goal of each show is to move people along the continuum of outsider, person with knowledge of the specific barriers faced by people with disabilities, a person who is connected to the community of disability advocates, to finally a person who takes an advocacy action. Advocacy actions and next steps will be available at each show.