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BREAKING OUR
SILENCE

STORYTELLING FOR MENTAL HEALTH
APRIL - MAY 2022

“Breaking Our Silence” was a month-long series of events in Spring 2022 that looked to the power of film, theater, dance, literature, music, poetry, and other forms of creative expression to help lift the shroud of secrecy around mental illness. 
 
Timed to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month, the series was organized by Story House Ithaca and sponsored by The Sophie Fund, the National Alliance on Mental Illness Finger Lakes, and the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County.

Screenings, workshops, performances, and more!

“Breaking Our Silence” included a May 15, 2022 screening at Cinemapolis of the award-winning documentary Bedlam, movement workshops on managing anxiety and grief, an open-mic storytelling event featuring master storyteller Regi Carpenter, a virtual panel at the Spring Writes Literary Festival on writing about mental illness, a presentation and volunteer opportunity with the Prisoner Express program, Civic Ensemble ReEntry Theatre Program's production of Delia Divided, and more. The series culminated on Saturday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m. in a community celebration at Ithaca High School’s Kulp Auditorium. 

Featured events

  • Playwrights' Jam
    Playwrights' Jam
    Sun, Mar 30
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    Mar 30, 2025, 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM
    Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Lively readings of theatrical works in progress. Join as a playwright, actor, audience member, or all three!
  • The Writers' Room
    The Writers' Room
    Multiple Dates
    Wed, Apr 02
    Tompkins County Public Library
    Apr 02, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
    Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Work on your project in the company of fellow writers
  • "Mine" film screening and Q&A
    "Mine" film screening and Q&A
    Tue, Apr 08
    The Soil Factory
    Apr 08, 2025, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    The Soil Factory, 142 Ithaca Beer Dr, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    See a filmed version of an "existential play" by Anna Evtushenko, who recently received her PhD at Cornell
  • Mending Circle
    Mending Circle
    Multiple Dates
    Thu, Apr 17
    SewGreen
    Apr 17, 2025, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
    SewGreen, 112 W Green St, #2, Ithaca, NY 14850
    Stitch, patch, share tips, and swap stories at our monthly mending circle
  • Postcards to the Planet
    Postcards to the Planet
    Sat, Apr 19
    Ithaca Commons
    Apr 19, 2025, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
    Ithaca Commons, 120 S Aurora St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    For Earth Day, drop by our table on the Ithaca Commons and give the planet a piece of your mind
  • Playwrights Jam
    Playwrights Jam
    Sun, Apr 20
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    Apr 20, 2025, 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM
    Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Lively readings of theatrical works in progress. Join as a playwright, actor, audience member, or all three!
  • Presentation Night
    Presentation Night
    Tue, Apr 22
    Liquid State Brewery
    Apr 22, 2025, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    Liquid State Brewery, 620 W Green St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Celebrate the joy of learning at this evening of short talks by non-experts (and there's beer!)
  • SingTrece: Changing Hearts One Positive Note at a Time
    SingTrece: Changing Hearts One Positive Note at a Time
    Apr 25, 2025, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
    Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Internationally acclaimed singer, songwriter, actress, and playwright SingTrece performs!
  • The Roast of Ithaca
    The Roast of Ithaca
    Fri, May 23
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    May 23, 2025, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
    Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    A no-holds-barred roast of the city we love (and sometimes love to complain about)
  • Refugee Voices
    Refugee Voices
    Sun, Mar 16
    Anabel Taylor Hall
    Mar 16, 2025, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
    Anabel Taylor Hall, 548 College Ave, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Honor the displaced people among us at an afternoon of stories, music, dance, skits, snacks, and fellowship.
  • Resilience by Samite
    Resilience by Samite
    Sat, Mar 01
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    Mar 01, 2025, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM
    Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    One-man multimedia musical show by internationally recognized musician, humanitarian, and artist Samite Mulondo
  • I Own This Stolen Land reading and discussion
    I Own This Stolen Land reading and discussion
    Jan 26, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
    CAP ArtSpace Gallery, 110 N Tioga St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    A reading by Oneida poet Kenzie Allen in the CAP ArtSpace gallery followed by a discussion with artist Ben Altman
  • Mending Circle
    Mending Circle
    Thu, Jan 23
    SewGreen
    Jan 23, 2025, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
    SewGreen, 112 W Green St, #2, Ithaca, NY 14850
    Stitch, patch, share tips, and swap stories at our monthly mending circle
  • Presentation Night
    Presentation Night
    Tue, Jan 21
    Liquid State Brewery
    Jan 21, 2025, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    Liquid State Brewery, 620 W Green St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Celebrate the joy of learning at this evening of short talks by non-experts (and there's beer!)
  • Stages of Life play reading
    Stages of Life play reading
    Sat, Jan 18
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    Jan 18, 2025, 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM
    Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Professional actors read short plays written by participants in our intergenerational playwriting workshop
  • Mending Circle
    Mending Circle
    Multiple Dates
    Thu, Dec 19
    SewGreen
    Dec 19, 2024, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
    SewGreen, 112 W Green St, #2, Ithaca, NY 14850
    Stitch, patch, share tips, and swap stories at our monthly mending circle
  • Improv Night
    Improv Night
    Tue, Dec 17
    Liquid State Brewery
    Dec 17, 2024, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    Liquid State Brewery, 620 W Green St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Watch hilarious theater happen!
  • Presentation Night
    Presentation Night
    Tue, Oct 29
    Liquid State Brewery
    Oct 29, 2024, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
    Liquid State Brewery, 620 W Green St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Celebrate the joy of learning at this evening of short talks by non-experts (and there's beer!)
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About The Sophie Fund

The Sophie Fund, Inc., principal sponsor of "Breaking Our Silence," is a 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable corporation established to support mental health initiatives aiding young people in greater Ithaca and Tompkins County. It supports programs and projects; raises awareness and fights the stigma around mental illness and treatment; advances a “zero suicide” ethos in the community; and serves as a community advocate for young people struggling with mental illness.

Story House Ithaca Line
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