Far From The Heart:

"I cannot imagine an investment that has the potential to impact so many students within Bluewater and provide our staff with the necessary resources to tackle the crucial conversations that must take place related to relationship issues."
Mary Anne Alton, Director of Education
Bluewater District School Board

"Excellent performance!  Students had nothing but positive remarks about the program." 
West Hill Secondary School, Owen Sound

"You are to be commended for your creative use of the power of theatre and theatre and the arts in promoting healthy, safe relationships between boys and girls."
Deb Matthews, Ontario Minister Responsible for Women¹s Issues

"The performance was outstanding."
John Diefenbaker Secondary School, Hanover.

"The scenario, the dialogue, the action, could all have 'Viewer discretion advised' warnings, but that's the point.  It makes you squirm in your seat. It makes you think."
Scott Woodhouse, Reporter
The Meaford Express

"A few days after the teacher training, a principal called SAPACC and asked me to give advice on reporting sexual abuse of a child-I was able to give her this advice... and before she just jumped to calling CAS-she found it helpful to talk through the situation and to get the advice that she could also encourage the mom of the child to also make contact with CAS--this helped her to include mom as a partner in her child's safety and health-I also agreed to talk to the mom-it was a great work of community partnering!!!

My second story-one of the students who was on our "youth advisory" team for FFTH e-mailed me today about her friend who recently confided to her about being "raped" by her boyfriend-  Because the student had been involved in FFTH she had knowledge and the "language" to support her friend and also to make the connection with me and she asked me for further advice and so I have contacted her back with further suggestions for her friend including coming to SAPACC for counseling... Anyways, these are two specific examples of the ripple effects I have felt as a result of FFTH. Pretty awesome!"
(Note: The friend came for counseling.)
Theresa Partridge, Sexual Assault and Partner Abuse Centre, Grey Bruce Regional Health Services, Owen Sound Site

"Everyone should see this!"
Far From the Heart Youth Advisory Council

"[Far From the Heart] produced a good product that was well received"
Alana Murray, Superintendent of Secondary Education, Bluewater Board of Education

"While most students have learned about the issues of rape and gender violence as part of their school curriculum, this production allowed a much more in-depth learning beyond the cognitive process, and impacted on their 'emotional intelligence'. It was my impression that any student who attended a performance of Far from the Heart would view relationships in a different way and their attitudes about men and women would be strongly affected by it. I also was impressed by feedback I received in the community about male students having started to talk about these issues with their parents. Far from the Heart is an innovative project that integrates artistic and crucial social justice issues in a very professional way."
Joachim Ostertag, Manager, The Men¹s Program

"I would recommend this workshop to any classroom. My students benefited in many ways from this experience. The gift of the arts - painting, writing, and singing was invaluable. The development of their sense of team and co-operation abilities was great, and we continue to use and benefit from the workshop strategies."
Wendy Kipp, Grade 5/6 Teacher, Dufferin Elementary School

"The whole thing had a wonderful and strange effect on me... I was amazed and awed by this group, how they could, without words and using only masks, large cardboard drawings, and plastic pails convey their message to everyone. The crowd was so very quiet and the small children sat on the pavement in a semi circle watching every move."
The Bruce Peninsula Press

"You set me back on track and reminded me to exercise CHOICE."
Liz, audience member, Dominican Republic

"I had the best day of my life, sober and clean."
Matt, age 20

"The Active Learning Method which [Sheatre] uses is a refreshing and powerful tool."
Claude Balthazard, Senior Consultant, CIBC Leaderhship Centre

"So many of the senior actors talk about how being an "older,bolder" actor really has made them reach out to new experiences and try things they haven't done and also to stand up for themselves more than they ever would have before. That is really neat."
Marguerite Thomas, Grey Bruce Health Unit, project coordinator

"An exceptional experience."
Helen Vaughn, performer/educator

"One of the startling things was that I had a voice! It changed my life."
George Yost, retired architect

"A springboard for other creative ventures."
Elizabeth Zetlin, poet