Act On

In North Carolina, there are currently 21,507 children with at least one incarcerated parent. 24 percent of those children are in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools system. Young children with incarcerated parents do not typically have an outlet that they can use to express themselves and also may not know how to share their true feelings about a tough or difficult situation. When a child is going through something traumatic, it isn't quite the same as an adult going through similar circumstances; the difference is children do not know how to speak out about their problems, so they use their faces, actions, and emotions to express themselves. So, improvisation is an outlet for them to better communicate their emotions in a fun but beneficial way. ActOn is a theatre program where children with incarcerated parents are able to come together in a creative environment to learn how to express themselves and share their stories through improvisation. While creating the brand for ActOn I knew I wanted create something that could communicate a degree of playfulness while also having serious undertones. Although the idea of theater is meant to be an enjoyable experience, the project incorporates a serious nature due to the tie-in with children of incarcerated parents.