See Me
Amplifying voices that are too often silenced
Visibility. Voice. Human Dignity.
The SEE ME project gives opportunities to hear stories that amplify the lived experiences of those that are too often silenced. Through short films, devised theatre, live performance, and facilitated storytelling experiences, participants are invited to share their truths—and audiences are invited to listen and then engage in talkbacks. These shared experiences create space for reflection, deeper understanding, and dialogue that helps challenge assumptions, reduce stigma and shame, and open pathways toward resilience, empathy, and connection.
There are two ways to experience the SEE ME PROJECT. One is SEE ME VIRTUAL and the other is SEE ME LIVE.
Program Overview
The SEE ME Project is a storytelling and performance initiative that creates space for people to be fully seen and heard—on their own terms.
By centering authentic voices, SEE ME challenges assumptions, disrupts harmful narratives, and invites audiences to listen with empathy and accountability. The work is rooted in social justice and community connection, using theatre and storytelling as tools for understanding and change.
The See Me Virtual Program
Coming out of the 2020 Covid-19 shutdown, we wanted a way for people to continue story telling, while not being able to have performances in person. So we got busy with zoom and started engaging with people, inviting them to tell their story.
The question we posed was “what would you want people to know about your situation.”
Out of these conversations came short video films, some of which can be viewed on our Video Gallery page, which were made in collaboration with people we have come to term STORY TELLERS.
As of our 7th production in 2025, we have partnered with people to tell 58 stories of resilient individuals who are expressing their stories. Each year the program has grown and most of the growth has happened through word of mouth.
The See Me LIVE program
The SEE ME LIVE program is what you might think of as more traditional storytelling through theatre except we don’t have our own theatre, so we present our performance in the community. Recently we held a production of WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME, by Heidi Schreck. We collaborated with the Steinum sisters collection to hold a free performance of the show. Listen to how an audience member described that performance:
I keep thinking about the moments of absolute silence in a room of over 100 people when Rebecca would take a pause between moods or moments when we were all in the palm of her hand. So powerful.
By centering authentic voices, SEE ME challenges assumptions, disrupts harmful narratives, and invites audiences to listen with empathy and accountability. The work is rooted in social justice and community connection, using theatre and storytelling as tools for understanding and change.
SEE ME in Action
Featured Films & Performances
Once we have created a SEE ME film, we hold community viewings. These are opportunities to witness the storytelling together as a community. We’d love to talk with you about holding a community viewing.
How Does It Work?
The SEE ME VIRTUAL Project amplifies the lived experiences of individuals and communities whose stories are too often silenced, distorted, or excluded from traditional spaces of art, education, and public dialogue. These voices come from our community members as well as from those who live around the country and beyond. https://photos.app.goo.gl/NEbq1kTnpmGx16j17. Building on the work of Studs Terkel, Anna Deavere Smith, The Tectonic Theatre Company, amongst others, the SEE ME STORY COACHES work with storytellers to help them articulate their story.
Given that our mission is “to create space for human dignity, using the arts for social justice.” We began creating the SEE ME VIRTUAL project to coordinate with the Human Trafficking and Social Justice Conference that happens each September. At its core, the See Me Virtual Project is about elevating the stories of marginalized people - however they identify. Their marginalization may be the result of a health condition, minority status, mental health diagnosis, educational experience, or something else. What the storyteller shares with us is crafted, using the dignity model, and they have full right of veto for any image, sound, or title that is used. At the end of the process, when the video is seen, we want the storyteller to feel that they have been represented well.
Each piece that has been crafted is a moving accolade to the resiliency of the storytellers. Often when people have been marginalized they hold their stories in, fearing they will not be welcome because no one else understands. We have discovered the opposite to be true. When people speak up about their vulnerability, they are emboldened, feel less alone, and more connected by their experience of telling. They feel seen and heard. Audience members recognize parts of their own story and feel a new sense of camaraderie and connection. They feel a new zeal to share their stories. The Virtual SEE ME Project is on a mission to banish shame, stop silence, and tell the stories that lead to healing and hope.
At its core, SEE ME is about visibility, dignity, and human connection.
The program centers real lived experiences and creates intentional opportunities for audiences to engage with stories that foster understanding and meaningful community conversations.
SEE ME is both a creative platform and a call to action—an invitation to see one another fully, without assumptions.
We also believe deeply in the power of storytelling as a tool for agency. Through SEE ME, individuals are supported in telling their stories on their own terms—strengthening their voice, claiming their narrative, and becoming powerful change-agents for themselves and for others.
Who SEE ME Is For
SEE ME serves individuals and communities who have historically been marginalized, including—but not limited to—people impacted by:
- Systemic inequality
- Poverty and housing insecurity
- Trauma and recovery
- Cultural, racial, and gender-based marginalization
Participation is intentionally accessible, trauma-informed, and participant-led.
What Happens in SEE ME
Participants engage in a guided creative process that may include:
- Story circles and facilitated dialogue
- Writing, movement, and performance exercises
- Filmed or live storytelling
- Optional public sharing through short films or performances
Each SEE ME experience is shaped by the voices in the room.
There is no expectation to perform in a traditional sense—only an invitation to share, reflect, and be witnessed.
Outcomes & Impact
Through SEE ME, participants:
- Gain tools for self-expression and confidence
- Experience validation, visibility, and belonging
- Build connection with others through shared storytelling
- Contribute to narratives that educate and challenge the broader community
Audiences and participating organizations gain deeper understanding of lived experiences that are often overlooked or misrepresented in public discourse.
Participate or Partner
We partner with a variety of community organizations, social service agencies, and advocacy groups to facilitate storytelling. Participants have contributed stories from Toledo, Ohio, to Manitoba, Canada. We’d love to hear from you. Participants reach out to us to tell their own story. If you have a story to tell or you have a suggestion of a project to suggest, we’d love to hear from you. To make sure that your suggestion lands in the correct place, please send you ideas to us.
Contact: info@issueboxtheatre.org
