On December 7th, we celebrated TRANSFORMERS at The Imperial. This event centered Cluster Member Patrick Keating's performance of "Inside/Out" , an acclaimed play he wrote about his experiences with the Criminal Justice System. Patrick discovered his love for theatre while incarcerated and pursued a BA Majoring in Theatre at Simon Fraser University thereafter. In his words: 

Inside/Out is my first venture into playwriting and I have received an enormous amount of encouragement both for my writing and for the subject matter which is very rarely broached in any meaningful way.​

Patrick works in Vancouver in both Film and T.V. and can be seen on Netflix in '1922', in the last 'X-files' season as a Vietnam Vet named 'Trigger', and on the new Netflix series “Virgin River”, as well as in Theatre where he's worked with most small companies in the city such as The Firehall Theatre, Rumble Theatre, Mortal Coil,Touchstone Theatre, Headlines Theatre, Pi Theatre, Urban Crawl, and Main Street Theatre where he's an associate artist. Patrick has been nominated for two Jessie Richardson awards. We are grateful for his generosity in sharing his piece with us. These are important stories to be told! As Patrick reflected:

The programs that were offered inside that helped me turn my back on that life are sadly no longer available. I remember asking Deputy Sheriff of San Francisco what a play about prisons should convey. He told me if the audience realizes that people inside are someone's Parent, someone's Sister, someone's Brother, someone's Child, then it would be a success.

This reflects the goals of the Cluster: centering the voices of those impacted by the cirminal justice system in identifying priority areas for research, program, and policy development to transform health and social outcomes for and with people impacted by incarceration (individuals, families, and communities). 

The evening also featured a Q & A session with Patrick after his performance whereby the audience was engaged in dialogue with him as facilitated by Megaphone Speakers Bureau Coordinator and Cluster Member, Nicolas Crier. This was followed by "Thank Yous" and gifts to honour our Members, including Elder Roberta Price for her support, guidance, and teachings. 

The evening was closed with music by Cluster Members and Housing Advocates, Erica and Grant.

Guests were invited to linger and visit vendor and donation stations, featuring:

• Indigenous bath products from Sisters Sage
• Releasing Hope book sales (signed by authors in-person) in support of the Arresting Hope Educational Fund
• Megaphone Magazine merchandize sales
• Fund raising for an Oppenheimer Holiday Block Party