BRADEN FASTIER/Stuff
Miranda Warner from Nelson Restorative Justice has produced and acted in theatre production All of Us.
A play exploring the restorative justice process will help shine a light on an often misunderstood part of our justice system, says producer and actor Miranda Warner.
All of Us follows the journey of a family after a family member is sentenced to prison. Written by British playwright Rebecca Abrams and partly funded by the Ministry of Justice, the production’s opening night in Murchison earlier this month was its world premiere.
As a facilitator with Restorative Justice Nelson, Warner has plenty of experience to draw on for her role.
Restorative justice is a process that helps give victims a voice, and helps offenders understand the impact of their actions. The process brings the two parties together, in a way that can have a powerful impact, Warner said.
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“There’s an overlap between drama and restorative justice,” Warner explained. “Restorative justice means entering into another person’s world and story. When facilitated well it’s very powerful; drama can be used to the same effect. Drama is the closest you can get to putting yourself into other peoples shoes.”
Warner grew up around drama: her father was a playwright and lecturer at Oxford University.
“I’ve always loved theatre and drama, and have woven it into whatever I’ve done.”
Miranda Warner/Nelson Mail
Dawn Marron, Sharon Lukitau-Ngaamo, Penny Taylor and Miranda Warner appear in All of Us.
A few years ago, Warner completed a masters in applied theatre; drama and criminal justice system, during which she spent five weeks in Cape Town working at a maximum security prison.
Later, she heard Rebecca Abrams speak about All of Us at an online conference about restorative justice. Interest piqued, Warner contacted the playwright to ask if she could stage her production in New Zealand.
The play centres around a family divided by violence and incarceration, and follows each family member as they work towards a restorative justice conference.
The play is followed by a Q&A with the actors and two restorative justice facilitators, Warner said.
She hoped the production would help demystify a process that is often misunderstood.
While some believed restorative justice to be a “soft option”, letting offenders off the hook, this was not the case, Warner said.
An often “gruelling process”, restorative justice required “radical accountability”, she said.
“We won’t let people get to a meeting without owning what they’ve done. If they blame or minimise we won’t take it to the meeting.”
For victims, a meeting is a chance to ask questions, to understand why the offending happened, and to make requests that are taken into account when an offender is sentenced.
“For a lot of people who have been harmed a core thing is wanting to know why it happened, and know that it won’t happen again,” Warner said.
“The most powerful restorative justice conferences are when people can bring their emotions; there can be a real catharsis in seeing each other.”
All of Us will be staged at the Suter Theatre on May 27. For more information visit Facebook, or buy tickets at myetickets.co.nz/world-premiere-all-of-us.