Play to explore experiences of chronically ill and hospitalized teens
WHAT:
UCSF Children’s Hospital will present “Tomorrow….A Better Day,” a performance piece based on teens’ experiences with chronic illness and hospitalization. The play is a compilation of writings by current and former teen patients at UCSF, adapted for the stage by teachers and students at the arts-focused Northwest School in Seattle. Healthy teens from the Northwest School will travel to San Francisco to perform the piece, which captures the many facets of how teens experience healthcare, and shows how creativity and artistic expression marshal the healing process.
WHEN:
Thursday, April 30, at 12:15 PM, and Friday, May 1, at 3 PM
A question/answer session will immediately follow each performance.
WHERE:
April 30 performance – Cole Hall, UCSF, 513 Parnassus Ave., San Francisco
May 1 performance – The de Young Museum, Koret Auditorium,
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr., Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
WHO:
Performers, UCSF Child Life Specialists, UCSF teen patients and their families, UCSF Children’s Hospital leadership
CONTACT:
If you plan to attend either performance, please RSVP to Kate Schoen at (415) 476-2557 or [email protected]. On the day of each event, contact Kate Schoen on mobile phone (415) 672-6875.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
“Tomorrow…A Better Day” was created with support from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The idea for the project stemmed from the UCSF Children’s Hospital Child Life Department, whose staff wanted to broaden programming and support for the teen patient population. In 2007, the department began offering a weekend creative arts program for teenagers, many of whom were confined to their hospital beds.
One of the nation’s top children’s hospitals, UCSF Children’s Hospital creates an environment where children and their families find compassionate care at the healing edge of scientific discovery, with more than 150 experts in 50 medical specialties serving patients throughout Northern California and beyond. The hospital admits about 5,000 children each year, including 2,000 babies born in the hospital.