In the summer of 2020, Maitri River Productions held a national open casting call asking for non-directed living kidney donors to send us their stories.  More than 75 kidney donors submitted stories for the storytelling show, CrowdSource for Life.  After a deliberate casting process which included zoom interviews for semi-finalists, 17 cast members were selected.  Cast members were located across the U.S. and one lived in the United Kingdom.  And then they waited for CrowdSource for Life and Abundant, to be funded.

In January 2023, production began and the cast participated in a storytelling workshop conducted by 2nd Story.  This virtual workshop taught the cast storytelling writing and techniques and brought the cast members together as a close team.  Through group instruction, small group participation and individual coaching, the cast of storytellers prepared for the final phases of production for CrowdSource for Life.  

In the months leading up to the stage production, cast members worked with director Donald Griswold and story editor Hal Karp to refine and practice final scripts.  Fourteen cast members remained for the final production which was staged on September 23, 2023 at The Majestic Theater in Dallas, Texas.

The cast arrived in Dallas for a Friday rehearsal where their stories were blended the work of our ensemble cast of dancers produced and choreographed by Avery-Jai Andrews and the original music and sound by sound designer/composer Brittany Padilla.  The cast had one day to rehearse with ensemble and music.

The next day, our cast of living donor storytellers took the stage at The Majestic Theater and performed their stories in CrowdSource for Life before a live audience of hundreds.

Stories are a cornerstone of every culture.  At its most basic, storytelling creates connections.  This form of communication has a unique power to make the listener know they are not alone with their thoughts, feelings, and reality.  

Through our intensive creative process, our cast members learned to tell their stories in a new, more complete way.  The stories evoke emotion and empathy, allowing the audience to tap into a sense of abundance each experienced.  And, with courageous vulnerability, the cast members’ tell stories that audience members will recognize from their own lives.

To enhance the experience, the stories are interpreted in dance, original sound scape and through a lighting sculpture on stage.  Each art form tells the same story, echoing and enhancing the words of each storyteller to create a unique immersion for the audience.  

The fusion of these fine arts with the most fundamental tribal communication of storytelling creates a unique opportunity for our cast of extreme altruists to connect with anyone listening.  And, in this connection, they pass on their understanding of abundance.