UnRavelled by Jake Broder Announces Workshop and Outreach Activations

UnRavelled, an award-winning play offering a unique perspective on the extraordinary power of the human mind in the face of neurological disease by noted playwright Jake Broder (Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara, Our American Hamlet), continues its national tour at the Miller Theatre at Columbia University, surrounded by UnRavelled Outreach, a fascinating and enlightening brain health festival offering a deeper dive into the play’s theme. The brain health festival, led by Outreach Director Samantha Rose Williams, offers workshops and outreach opportunities that accompany the play’s performances, including pre- and post-performance activities, informative talks, art therapy workshops, and interactive displays for audience members to further engage with the play’s discussions around dementia–inspiring creativity and hope.

UnRavelled Outreach is a mission-driven, evidence-based, advocacy-minded “festival” of arts programming that runs concurrently with the award-winning play UnRavelled to transform the conversation around dementia, using the intersection of art and brain health to spread a message of hope, possibility, and creativity in the FTD ecosystem and beyond. Thanks to the support of sponsors, all programming is FREE.

“This story defies the typical ‘diagnosis-to-death’ dementia narrative, focusing instead on creativity and hope.” — Jake Broder, Creator

“Festival” of Brain Health to Raise Awareness of Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), To Run Concurrently with Performances of UnRavelled, Play about the Astounding True Story of Canadian Painter/Biologist Dr. Anne Adams and French Composer Maurice Ravel, Inexorably Linked by (FTD) 100 Years Apart

Festival Includes

Touring Art Exhibition of Dr. Adams’ Paintings

Array of Pre- and Post-Performance Displays, Experiential Exhibits and Talk Backs

And Art Therapy Workshops

Engagement activities around the performances convene community members and experts around this vital topic

UnRavelled is more than a stage production—it's a national initiative combining live performance, scientific outreach, and transformative art. The play centers on the stirring true story about the remarkable connection between the work of Canadian painter and eminent biologist Dr. Anne Adams (1940–2007) and French composerMaurice Ravel (1875–1937), both of whom lived with the same rare brain disease, Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), almost 100 years apart. "An exquisite example of epic theatre" (Colorado Boulevard), UnRavelled sheds a new, empathetic light on dementia. The outreach initiatives aim to change the conversation around dementia, foster community support, and inspire action through the power of neuroscience and creativity.

Among the festival highlights, the art exhibition of Dr. Adams’ extraordinary paintings will be mounted at Mt. Sinai. Viewers can study 10 of her paintings exploring the evolution of Dr. Adams’ artwork, from her preclinical phase through her progressive dementia. The exhibit illustrates that as certain areas of Dr. Adams’ brain stopped working, other regions stepped in, generating a previously hidden painting talent that enabled her to communicate through her art, even as her ability to speak deteriorated.

Tickets and Information:

Tickets are $20 for balcony seats, $35 for side orchestra seats, and $45 for center orchestra seats. Discounts are available for Students (ID required), Columbia staff and faculty, and seniors. For more information about UnRavelled, visit https://www.unravelledplay.com/.