"There's not enough women on stage! There's sex objects and side kicks, but no Hamlets." ~ Chris Clarke, male board member, Tennessee Women's Theater Project.
Not only is this small, courageous theater bringing equality to the stage, they are tackling tough issues such as breast cancer among African American women (who experience more death rates than their white peers.) And now through Sunday, March 11, Tennessee Women's Theater Project is tenderly portraying bi-polar disorder and depression and the effects on family members in the regional premiere of "The Disappearance of Janey Jones." I almost missed this play. Don't you!
In an effort to broaden the impact of the play and create a larger conversation about mental illness in the
community, TWTP founder and artistic director Maryanna Clarke, along with local mental health
support and advocacy groups, has organized a series of audience engagement events to encourage the
community dialogue.
What: Post-show audience discussion with expert moderators
When: Saturday March 3 and March 10, immediately following the performance at
approximately 9 PM
Where: Z. Alexander Looby Theater, 2301 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., Nashville, Tenn. 37208
Misc.: Various mental health advocacy organizations will be providing moderators, including
the National Association of Mental Illness of Davidson County
Note: Playwright Jennifer Fawcett will lead the March 10 post-show audience discussion.
In partnership with The Creative Arts Project, made possible by the Middle Tennessee Mental Health
and Substance Abuse Coalition, the TWTP has also arranged a small exhibition of paintings created by
individual with mental illness in the Looby Theater to help enable individuals with mental illness and
addiction disorders to express their creative abilities, increase their personal self-confidence and
overcome the stigma within the community about mental health disorders.
For more information on the Tennessee Women’s Theater Project and The Disappearance of Janey
Jones, visit www.twtp.org.
For more information on The Creative Arts Project, see www.creativeartsproject.org.
