​Consider the following questions ​for class participation, relevant to grade-specific objectives:

Objective:
​
​Describe a range of ways to express affection
​within various types of relationships.

Questions:
Have you ever asked yourself,
"How do I want to be loved?"
In watching A Finished Heart, do you see Chris and Eliott demonstrating to each other how they
each want to be loved?
Describe specific examples.
Do their desires always stay the same?
​Explain.
​How about writing a list of ways that
you want to be loved?

• ​"The performance was amazing. I loved it. It was so heart felt. I got chills so many times during it! It was very moving and I was happy to have been able to watch it. I have never seen anything like it before and I am so happy that you are able to perform it."​

​

• "The experience of a discussion afterwards allowed me to process the entire performance. It gave me insight to how other people were feeling and made me realize that I was not alone in the feelings I was having."

Objective:
​
Describe characteristics of healthy and
​unhealthy romantic and/or sexual relationships.

Questions:
​From hearing the conversations between
Chris and Eliott, do you view their marriage as healthy? Explain.
There are many, wide-ranging emotions expressed in
​A Finished Heart. How would you describe them?
Did any of the dialogues, emotions or attitudes
shared by Chris and Eliott make you wonder
​if they were healthy or unhealthy?
​Let's discuss!

• "Your story was very touching and should continue to be told. I love how courageous you are. You are truly inspirational. Thank you!"​​

​

• "This was a wonderful experience for me and my friends ... I hope my boyfriend and I stay together and be as happy as you two were."

Objective:
​
​Demonstrate communication skills
that foster healthy intimate and sexual relationships.

Questions:
How do personal values motivate what
and how we communicate?
Identify and differentiate between
communication skills, content
​and values expressed in A Finished Heart.
​How do they intersect and work together?
We will discuss and demonstrate by each choosing a personal value, assigning content we want to express
​that's aligned with that value,
​choosing a way to express it
​and sharing it with each other.

• "It meant a lot to me, I could relate in many ways to your story. How real you were about it. It made it seem you were actually talking to your husband.​​"

• "The experience was really cool. I thought that the questions were very emotional. It let me relate to the people and the story better."​

​

• "The story and performance was very emotional. it made me think of how things are for other people and how people only think about themselves."

Objective:
​
​Practice effective and appropriate
verbal and nonverbal communication skills
with peers and adults to enhance health. ​

Question:
What is one verbal or non-verbal communication
skill you witnessed in A Finished Heart
that you can use today?

Why are you attracted to this particular skill?
​
Suggest with whom, how and why you might use it.
We'll each report back and discuss, tomorrow!

• "It meant a lot to me. It really showed me how brave someone can be to share something so personal with people he doesn't even know.​​"​​

​

• "Brought back a lot of feelings for me of when I lost my great, great grandfather. It was really hard when I lost him. Talking about it more I got really to understand more about how other people are affected by similar things."​

Objective:

​Recognize diversity among relationships
including age, disability,
​national origin,
race, color, marital status, sex,
​sexual orientation and gender identity.

Questions:
What do you see in A Finished Heart as the driving force(s) behind the marriage of Chris and Eliott?
Does sexual orientation play any role in defining this? How and why ... or why not?
How might you extrapolate your perspective gained from this performance
​to influence the way you regard relationships within
communities and cultures that are unfamiliar to you? 

Objective
​(Mindset Standard):

A sense of belonging in the school environment. 

Questions:
What does it mean to you that this piece is about two men in love, who are married to each other?
What does it mean to you that your school is presenting this piece?

How does A Finished Heart inspire bonding?

"After the performance ended, we were invited to enter into a short time of silence for reflection and contemplation. I felt moved to touch the woman next to me, so I reached out and placed my hand on her knee not knowing how she would respond. She in turn, took my hand in hers. In the silence, we held on to one another. The movement and power of Eliott's performance created an unspoken bond between us that was both profound and ordinary. Thank you, Eliott, for creating space within my heart and the hearts of many to give and receive love in ways unimagined." ​-- Reverend Mary Elizabeth Peterson of Portland, Oregon.

How else does A Finished Heart impact student life?

Teens live within a world of intensity. 
A Finished Heart meets them in this world, validating their emotions and the expression of deep feeling. 


When school counselors serve as discussion facilitators directly after 
​A Finished Heart, students become more aware of counseling resources in the context of sharing personal thoughts and feelings with their peers in safe space.


When the public is invited to the performance, students benefit from hearing thoughts and feelings from people of all ages.

"The students brought a sense of vulnerability and sensitivity to the discussion and after the performance they were visibly affected by the many messages that were conveyed by Eliott and his music.

At this age, young people are wrestling with the many meaning of life struggles and who they want to be as human beings. Discussions of death and relationships bring a deeper dimension to these personal journeys as they tug on all of our understandings that life and love have endings. The post discussions were rich in sharing of their own experiences. And they also offered a wonderful insight into the many levels of understanding that they received from the production, including the use of humor, anger and acceptance in the process of letting go. This is a beautiful performance that enriches the experience of living for all ages."​ -- ​Leslie Morrill, Assistant Principal, Edward Little High School, Auburn Maine (2013)​

What's it like to work with Eliott?

"Working with Eliott was a wonderful experience -- he was a consummate professional and cared deeply about every aspect of the event. I cannot say enough about his devotion to his art and to this piece. I recommend both the art and the man behind it with the warmest regard and appreciation." -- Susan B. Sepples, RN, CCRN, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Southern Maine​

Contact Eliott

While caring for Chris, my husband of sixteen years, as he died at home of pancreatic cancer, I kept a journal of the tender, inspiring and often humorous conversations we shared. A Finished Heart is my performance of these actual dialogues, combined with narrative, poetry and a musical score.

​Take this unusual opportunity to empathize with real experience through live, dramatic ​expression and discussion to:

---

• pose questions one cannot normally ask;
• be present for a depth of intimacy that is rarely shared with the outside world;
• and to taste realities that are impossible to imagine.​

For people who, themselves, are in the throes of similar challenges, this is a chance to build community -- to feel and be reminded that we are not alone.

Dear Teachers and Students,

Please join me in this beautiful story that will expand your connections with each other and with profound aspects of life. I will be bringing you into true experience that society normally encourages us to keep hidden. It is a great honor to present A Finished Heart to all those who enter the world of Chris and Eliott and who may share their own stories with generosity and trust.

Sincerely,

Contact Me

"powerful, rich and raw – absolutely mesmerizing from start to finish."
"The level of raw emotion shows Eliott's ability to connect with any audience."