The Tin Woman (Play) by 100 Percent Human Theatre

Near midnight in a small bland room of Regions Hospital, surrounded by a handful of friends and family, my husband and I numbly said “yes” to donating our 16 year old son’s eyes and tissues after he died unexpectedly 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. This horrible night was a dreadfully jarring introduction to organ donation. Though I had long before designated myself a donor on my driver’s license, I was not prepared for acting on behalf of my own child.

Thankfully we were gently and empathetically taken through the process by a representative from LifeSource, the Midwest’s organ procurement organization. What was the darkest night of our lives held the future promise of something good, something that would bring life to someone else. Indeed, a few years later we received a letter from the recipient of our son’s tissue donation: a young man who had ACL surgery on his knee. And would you know, he went on to win his high school’s district basketball championship!

What is this project?

The Tin Woman play is a comedic drama about a young woman 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.

My mission with The Tin Woman play project is to engage audiences with an entertaining live show that will encourage them to sign up to become organ, eye and tissue donors. April is National Donate Life Month, and 100 Percent Human Theatre is partnering with LifeSource to provide opportunities for audiences to learn more about donation, to hear real life donation stories, and to sign-up to become organ donors at the performances. PLUS:

• Friday night post-show live trivia games with Fifty Hats Games!
• Saturday night post-show Q&As with LifeSource, donor family & recipients, plus actors!
• One Pay-As-You’re-Able performance, so that no one is restricted by ticket prices!

Performances will be April 4-13, 2025 at the Historic Mounds Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Who is 100 Percent Human Theatre?

Hi, I’m Joy Donley, producer and director of 100 Percent Human Theatre, formerly known as Front Porch Theatre. I’ve been theatre-making for over 30 years, first as a professional actor and then as a professional director since 2002. I’ve put up shows at the MN Fringe Festival (and even in my own backyard!) and have independently contracted with other professional theatre companies, colleges, high schools, churches and community theatres.

My approach to producing theatre is to engage audiences beyond simply seeing a show. My goal is to provide added experiences to help audiences go deeper into the show’s themes--to provide action steps that move from entertainment toward a higher purpose! EXAMPLES:

• A show about Robin Hood (who steals from the rich to give to the poor): we brought in representatives from the local non-profit Feed My Starving Children
• A show about a young orphan learning her own life story: we brought in the non-profit Stories Café to provide snacks and fundraised for The Dwelling Place, a supportive transitional housing non-profit for women and children
• A show about a quirky school academy: we raised funds for our local elementary school’s recording studio

With The Tin Woman play project we’re moving from entertainment to higher purpose by putting up excellent performances, offering Q&As and live trivia as exciting ways to learn about organ donation, then having an action step for the audience to sign up to become donors.

Where is your money going?

Your tax deductible donation through GIVEMN goes toward the costs of putting on the production of The Tin Woman play. Phase One of the fundraising goal is $14,560. This amount represents half of our professional actor and artist pay, and half of our production costs (i.e. rentals, royalties, scripts, set, props, costumes, etc.) Please note: this project is not a fundraiser for LifeSource.

A heartfelt thank you for supporting this life-giving project!

Joy Donley, Director/Producer

100 Percent Human Theatre LLC (formerly Front Porch Theatre)

-------

The Tin Woman by Sean Grennan is produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc. (www.playscripts.com)

The Tin Woman play is a fiscally sponsored project of Springboard for the Arts. 

To give to Springboard: https://givemn.org/organization/Springboard-For-The-Arts