Project Grant

If this project achieves the intended outcomes, Saint John’s University expects audiences and residency participants to have a new interest and curiosity about topics relevant to each performance that will lead them to explore other offerings from Fine Arts Programming and other Central Minnesota performing arts organizations. For the Pat Hazell writing residency activity, one major outcome will be that participants are able to use creative writing as a way to help give voice to their stories using writing genres of their choice (humor, creative fiction, nonfiction, etc.). It is not the intent to use this session as a way of fleshing out stories of war, but using the experience and learned skills as ways of encouraging participants to begin truthful writing and artistic expression. Given the output from the Pat Hazell workshop in February, veterans may opt to have their own selections from the writing workshop read aloud by company members of Griffin Theater, which will take place in April. Following the writing session, a feedback session with the staff will be held, as well as a train-the-trainer session with Pat Hazell. The therapists of the VA will also have an expanded skillset in creative writing techniques following the training activities, which will help them implement new writing therapy programs at the VA into the future. Since this is an area of arts therapy without trained staff at the VA, Saint John’s University designed this session with the intent of laying a foundation for sustainability of creative writing and performance. Saint John’s University staff members expect that these activities will also strengthen the relationship with our residency partner, which in turn will facilitate future activities.Saint John’s University is working with residency partner, Saint Cloud VA, to outline specific desired outcomes. Following the residency activities, Saint John’s University will gather feedback responses from workshop facilitators to find out if the activities met the intended goals and/or expectations for each group of veterans served. These will be narrative responses, giving partners a chance to provide more meaningful feedback. Saint John’s University has also set up post-activity meetings between Saint John’s University staff and VA facilitators to discuss outcomes of the residencies and goals for future partnerships. The easiest and most often used measure of success will, of course, be attendance numbers at residency activities and at the public performance. Saint John’s University will track ticket sales and participation numbers at residency events as well as survey the public performance audience to find out if this performance attracted new audiences to each performance as anticipated and if each performance was successful at changing attitudes and/or perceptions of the particular genre.