Childhood Trauma & Juvenile Justice; World Premiere of impactful new solo play

Childhood Trauma & Juvenile Justice is a new solo play that explores how childhood trauma and a lack of support can send people down dramatically different life trajectories.

This free one-time only live theatrical event will have its world premiere on Friday, November 13; 3 p.m. at UCLA’s Lani Hall. Performed, written, and directed, by Dr. Micah E. Johnson, an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and a SAG-AFTRA actor who uses plays and performances to disseminate research, information, and behavioral health resources to the community.

Dr. Johnson portrays multiple characters and alternative versions of a life shaped by different combinations of risk and protective factors. This creative and educational production examines how childhood trauma can affect mental health, substance use, and involvement in the justice system and explores the criminalization of mental illness and the poverty-to-prison pipeline.

Combining scientific research, storytelling, drama, humor, and lived experience, Childhood Trauma & Juvenile Justice asks audiences to consider not only individual choices, but how families, communities, institutions, opportunities, and systems shape those choices.

Designed particularly for youth, families, mentors, educators, social workers, community leaders, organizations, and anyone affected by trauma and juvenile justice, Childhood Trauma & Juvenile Justice represents an unusual intersection of academic research, medicine, social science, theatre, and community engagement. The performance translates research on childhood trauma, behavioral health, violence, and juvenile justice into an accessible theatrical experience.

The performance is intentionally free to the public, and attendees will receive free books and behavioral-health resources available to attendees. UCLA Family Medicine is utilizing a live theatrical production to reach audiences that might never attend a scientific conference or read an academic journal.

WHEN: Friday, November 13 at 3 p.m.
• FREE Entry, FREE Books, FREE Parking, Special Guests, access to behavioral health resources, and more

WHERE:
Lani Hall at UCLA
Schoenberg Music Bldg at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
445 Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095

TICKETS: https://doctormicahjohnson.com/ctjj/

Free; RSVP is strongly encouraged; recommended for ages 14+.