Tellin' Tales Theatre presents: Hands Up! Misunderstood Minds 3/10-11

Tellin’ Tales Theatre Presents: Hands Up! Misunderstood Minds explores experiences around mental illness by ten storytellers who share their individual journeys. The stories go far beyond the things we can see and bring attention to the bravery and love that is connected to the struggles.

“We all struggle with mental health at different points in our lives, yet there are so many misconceptions that surround it.” said Co-Director Stephen Donart. Co-Director Robert Teverbaugh adds: “Many people find it hard to talk about mental illness. They are afraid of being judged or excluded. Hopefully these stories will create a shared experience that will help bring mental health out into the open.” The performers are writers and actors with and without disabilities from the Chicagoland area.

Tellin’ Tales Theatre Presents: Hands Up! Misunderstood Minds is live at the Kedzie Inn, 4100 N. Kedzie on Friday, March 10 at 8pm. A second presentation takes place Saturday, March 11 at 8pm at Northeastern Illinois University Stage Center, 3701 W. Bryn Mawr. The Saturday evening performance will include sign language interpretation, and an after-show talk back. Tickets range between $10 and $20 and can be purchased at www.tellintales.org or at the performances.

Tellin’ Tales Theatre has partnered with Project Onward, a nonprofit art studio and gallery that supports Chicago visual artists living with mental and developmental disabilities. The performance of Hands Up! Misunderstood Minds will incorporate video images of Project Onward artists to provide them with a “visual voice” to tell their stories and change the perceptions of the world. Project Onward is based at the Bridgeport Art Center.

About the 10 Storytellers:

Kim Robb Baker writes into the beauty, ugliness and tipping points that hide in everyday life in her poems, essays and fiction. She believes sharing brokenness with honesty can help the teller and the audience heal together.

Kimberly Thalia Brady studied theatre at Illinois State U. and has performed in numerous Chicago blackbox theatre and nightclubs. She describes herself as a fire spinning, singing, dancing, divorced witch mom and bud tender.

Marcia Buell has been involved with Tellin' Tales Theatre as a parent of young performers; this is her first foray into storytelling with TTT. She teaches composition at NEIU but finds the writing and performing experience both terrifying and exhilarating.

Marlana May Carlson has a B.A. in Theatre from Oberlin College and has been stage manager for Tellin' Tales Theatre for 13 years. She is bravely embracing the challenge of performing something she has written.

Trina Dunham is a professional artist and woodworker with a gypsy soul who loves exploring new art forms. Over the last 12 years, she has lost two immediate family members and a close friend to suicide. Through her art she has been able to find healing.

Louise LeBourgeois, who teaches painting at Columbia College, creates paintings of water and sky based on her experiences swimming in Lake Michigan. She coaches open water swimming to adults and is fascinated with the relationship between breath, relaxation and safety.

Christina L. Pinilla, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with Chicago Public Schools, loves to tackle the universality of the human experience as a storyteller. She is devoted to blending her skills to help others by sharing her vulnerable life experiences.

Caitlin Robb is a neurodivergent-and-occasionally-mentally-ill actor, improviser, director, stage manager and writer who believes in the healing power of storytelling. A Drama grad from UW Stevens Point and Second City Conservatory, she is interested in creating feminist, sex positive, radically inclusive theatre.

Ben Saylor has grown up with Tellin' Tales Theatre, beginning in 2005 at age 11. Since then he has been a student acting apprentice, student assistant director and a mentor - appearing in many TTT productions. He is the co-founder of LPA's Rainbow Committee, focusing on providing resources and acceptance for LGBTQAI+ little people within the organization.

Shui Sherard is a Chicago-based database expert who has tread a path from math to philosophy to economics. They believe that each individual forges a bridge between the past and the future, and that we build, collectively, all of the world's tomorrows - starting today. So why not work to make it better?

The mission of Tellin' Tales Theatre is to shatter barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through the transformative power of personal story. We bring together children and adults from both communities to share their stories in theatrically innovative productions and programs to promote awareness, understanding and acceptance.

Hands Up! Misunderstood Minds is partially supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council, the Seabury Foundation, and the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation.