ENRICHMENT PROGRAMSdiverse group of people lined up on stage with signs in hands

Confronting social issues is a delicate challenge.  Let The Sapphire be a strategic partner in unpacking the complexity for your audience.  More than just awareness, your audiences will experience and learn practical steps for true positive change.

Our ENRICHMENT Programs are interactive performances designed for extraordinary audiences in exceptional circumstances. Today’s complex social issues are so challenging and divisive that it’s hard to know where to start meaningful conversations. We work with experts to stage stories, based on real events, that allow audiences to engage in meaningful dialogue. Rather than presenting topics in a detached, general terms, our programs focus on the very people struggling with the issues.

Customized programs are also available virtually.  Email [email protected] for more information.

FACING GRIEF: Nourishing Loved Ones Through Loss – #FacingGrief

Two lit candles illuminate hands held in supportMany of us don’t know what to say or do when a loved one experiences profound grief. Through live theatrical enactments of various scenarios, audiences are invited to practice reacting to loss and supporting those they love.Our brains are wired for survival, not loss, creating significant challenges in the aftermath of profound grief. FACING GRIEF, a presentation of The Sapphire Theatre’s award-winning PICTURE THIS® applied theatre programming, engages improvisational actors to act out brief scenarios. Staying in character, they “break the fourth wall” for an interactive talk back with the audience at the crisis point of each scene. Society and the community can do better for those who are hurting. Theatre can help show the way by allowing participants to practice how to have hard conversations, hold space, and listen. Musicians, interfaith ministers, educators, counselors and other subject matter experts will help facilitate this event.

Schedule of FREE Performances: Walk-ins welcome subject to availability. Disabiilties accommodated upon request. 

This collaborative endeavor debuts as part of the Spirit & Place Festival, a multi-day festival of events independently created and hosted by the community and supported by the Spirit & Place organization, which is housed in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. The year’s festival is from Nov. 2-12, 2023 and explores the theme of NOURISH. For more information about the Spirit & Place Festival, visit spiritandplace.org. 

The POWER of CONSENT: Empowering Students to Prevent Campus Assault – #POWERofCONSENTtwo hands reaching towards each other in silhouette

This interactive performance with guided conversations is designed to raise awareness about the prevalence and prevention of sexual assault on college campuses. This program prepares both male and female students, parents and campus communities for safe and healthy university experiences, and was created in partnership with Planned Parenthood.

REBUILDING HOME: Managing Moral Injury & PTSD – #RebuildingHome + #HelpIndyVetssilhouette of military person walking into sunrise

Interactive performances and workshops fostering healthy communication and support for military members, veterans, their families, and their friends. Through the power of theatre, REBUILDING HOME uses effective techniques to create real-life, relatable learning experiences for veterans, families, and community members. Includes take-away information on Moral Injury. This program was created in partnership with Dr. Rita Nakashima-Brock.