Chryssie Whitehead Will Open New Play About Bipolar Disorder Off-Broadway

Chryssie Whitehead will open In My Own Little Corner: My Work In Progress With Bipolar Disorder off-Broadway next year. The play is a striking and deeply personal, but widely relatable new autobiographical production (with music) that chronicles the actress and her late mother's shared stories of mental health – specifically, Bipolar ll Disorder.

Directed by Bryan Knowlton, with musical direction by Nick Wilders, the production will perform at The Abrons Arts Center (466 Grand St.) on Monday, January 22 at 7:00pm, prior to a longer run Off-Broadway in the fall of 2024.  Tickets are $15-$35.

For more info: www.imolctheshow.com

 In My Own Little Corner: My Work In Progress With Bipolar Disorder unravels stage and film actress Chryssie Whitehead's diagnosis with Bipolar Disorder at the age of 38, while simultaneously making peace with the passing of her mother. Parts comedy, tragedy, and love story, it's a strikingly honest look at the generational patterns and behaviors interwoven between a mother and her daughter as they lived out vastly different lives with regards to their mental health.

The production seeks to stop the stigma behind the still rarely discussed disorder and normalize conversations around mental health, so people feel less shocked or ashamed upon diagnosis or when someone they love is diagnosed. After the performance, Chryssie is joined by Dr. Alisa Hurwitz for an open conversation with the audience in a safe and affirming space. The show promotes and raises funds for mental health services in the communities where it is presented.
 
“I was afraid to put this story down in writing, because I felt like I was betraying my mother,” says Whitehead. “I also feared people seeing me differently, or not hiring me because of it all. So, at first, I wasn't sure it was something I should be sharing with the world. But after the first reading, where my mentor, an investing producer and a close colleague watched and were all in tears at one point or another, the second guessing myself and the fear dropped. I felt more confident that it might resonate with others. I then made the decision to share it outside my circle – and the responses to keep sharing it were even more moving and encouraging. At that point it was clear I should keep going. Mom raised me on the importance of giving back while doing my career, now I feel I am doing her justice sharing my story the way I feel it needs to be told.”
 
In My Own Little Corner: My Work In Progress With Bipolar Disorder features musicians Nick Wilders (piano), Tiffany Weiss (violin), Mackenzie Lesser-Roy (she/her) (cello), Jared Mathis (he/him) (drums) and Rick Snell (guitar).
 
The production's creative team includes Ken Cerniglia (dramaturg), Paige Sieber (lighting design), Jmonet Hill (stage manager), Lauren Barette (production assistant), Margaret Siller (legal representative), Erin Spears Ledford (associate director), and Ari Goldbloom-Helzner (associate MD and copyist), New Stage Theatrical Management, (general management team partnered by Ariana Sarfarazi, Brent Bejsovec, & Clayton Howe), Innoruptive (marketing team partnered by Charlie Ray, Alexandria Roth, & Clayton Howe) and Dan Demello Public Relations (press representative). Additional creative team credits are soon to be announced. www.imolctheshow.com/team
 
In My Own Little Corner: My Work In Progress With Bipolar Disorder had its first reading at Ripley Grier on February 19th, 2022 and a second reading on July 22, 2022. Their debut performance was then performed at Riverside Theatre on November 5, 2022 as a fundraiser for the Entertainment Community Fund.

Chryssie Whitehead (Author and Artist) is originally from South Carolina has been working 25 years in the entertainment industry. She began her career as a dancer for the Rockettes fresh out of high school and has had an accomplished career in film, television and Broadway as an actress, dancer and singer. She went to school for musical theatre at AMDA College and Conservatory for the Performing Arts in NYC and landed her Broadway debut in the revival of A Chorus Line as Kristine. Her additional Broadway credits include Kitty/Velma US in Chicago (understudy, performed) and Kathy in Company (Lincoln Center with Neal Patrick Harris). Her favorite regional roles: Bombalurina in Cats, Lola in Damn Yankees and Cassie in A Chorus Line. Film and television work include West Side Story (Steven Speilberg), Grey's Anatomy, Switched at Birth, Castle, The Mentalist, Warehouse 13, Private Practice, Grimm and the romantic comedy with Raven Simone, Revenge of the Bridesmaids. She has joyfully crossed over to the creative side, directing and/or choreographing, as well as staging educational productions of Chicago, A Chorus Line, Rent, All Shook Up, Into the Woods, Shrek, Grease, How 2 $ in Business and Beauty and the Beast. She is on the musical theatre faculty at AMDA College and Conservatory for the Performing Arts in NYC, along with the dance faculty at Broadway Dance Center and Steps. She can be found teaching masterclasses to colleges across the country. Chryssie is the co-founder of the performing arts mentoring & coaching company, www.BroadwayArtsCommunity.com and is currently touring with her self-published, one-woman mental health awareness show, In My Own Little Corner, My Work in Progress with Bipolar Disorder. Chryssie shares her bipolar ll diagnosis through the magic of theatre with a mission to normalize conversations around mental health and help stop the stigma. www.chryssiewhitehead.com