The Public Theater of Minnesota wants to capture your heart — and as many other organs as you can spare.
Now in its fifth year, the St. Louis Park-based theater is hoping to raise awareness of organ and tissue donation through its latest production, "I And You." The play by Lauren Gunderson focuses on the unlikely relationship between a 17-year-old girl waiting for a liver transplant and a high school jock who secretly loves poetry.
The 2 p.m. performance Feb. 15 at Sabes Jewish Community Center will feature a post-performance discussion about organ and tissue donation, with participation by individuals and families whose lives were changed by organ gifts.
Mark Hauck, the theater's founder and artistic director, said such events help put the "public" in public theater. "I see it as a civic exercise as much as an artistic exercise," he said. "We are focused on nurturing audiences that don't typically attend theater."
LifeSource, which manages organ and tissue donation in Minnesota and the Dakotas, is making an effort to promote conversation about organ donation through the arts, said spokeswoman Rebecca Ousley.
More than 3,200 Minnesotans are currently waiting for an organ transplant, Ousley said. Nationwide, 21 people die every day while waiting for a donated organ. One person can save and heal up to 60 lives through organ, eye and tissue donations.
"I'm amazed at how many lives are touched by that decision to check the box on your driver's license," Hauck said.
Hauck said "I And You" has particular resonance for teens and their families. He hopes families will see it together.
