THE WORKPLACE PROJECT Kicks Off Erasing the Distance's 2017 Lineup!

2017 is the first full year produced by Erasing the Distance's expanded leadership team. Last year, Amy Sarno joined the organization as Artistic Director and Heather Bodie was named Associate Artistic Director, a role new to the company. Artistic programming in 2017 will feature new performing ventures, including a festival of three new works in fall and a holiday-themed performance in winter.

 

The Workplace Project

Sponsored in part by Takeda Pharmaceuticals

June 5, 6, and 7 at 8 p.m. at Stage 773

Devised and directed by Associate Artistic Director Heather Bodie

This world premiere production is an exploration of mental health and the white collar workplace. With absenteeism and lack of productivity directly linked to untreated mental health issues, the stigma around mental illness significantly impacts the bottom line of corporate America. But what are we doing to address it? Four people share the stories of their struggle to manage their mental health in conjunction with their work.

SPARKfest

September 7-24 at Filament Theatre

The inaugural SPARKfest is a three-week event with three shows staged in rotating repertory, a new format for Erasing the Distance. The performances are ticketed events and the exhibits, panels, and workshops happening alongside the shows are free and open to the public. Audience members can choose to see one show, or all three. The inaugural festival will address the issues of lives shaped by lies, relationships across generations, and caregivers' coping with the end of life.

"Following the successful PopUp Series in 2016, I was moved to expand our work and give these important performances as much time on stage as possible. By implementing a festival format, we've created opportunities to experience the work of our artists over an extended period. We look forward to growing our work and cultivating more conversations with our audiences," says Artistic Director Amy Sarno.

Walk A Mile

Devised by Stacy Stoltz

How do you reconnect or strengthen your ties to your family? How does your connection to them affect the way you move through the world? With all the chaos and confusion in the world, in our country, why is family important? Walk a Mile is about a woman uncovering her family's stories, personalizing those stories and re-telling them as though they are her own. While attempting to grow her empathy for the people who made her who she is, she hopes to inspire others to consider their own family connections.

Breathe With Me

Devised by Maura Kidwell and Millicent Hurley

43.5 million Americans are currently caring for an ill or elderly family member, according to the latest research on caregiving done by the AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving. While we speak of caregiving as both a gift and a burden, we never really consider how hard it is on the actual person who is having to balance work, family, and the needs of the ailing family member. How does the caregiver get taken care of? How does the person taking care get emotional support? This work explores the quiet and complex emotional world of the end-of-life caregiver and those who choose to care for others.

The Lies We Tell

Devised by Adam Poss

The story of one man's struggle with addiction, starting in high school, continuing through college, graduate school, and in the workforce. As a high functioning addict, he told lies to friends, family, coworkers, and girlfriends to protect the addiction. Along with the lies he tells, the work explores the lies others chose to believe. How does addiction impact relationships? What truths are impossible to share when you are an addict, or someone involved with an addict?

The Holiday Show

December 2017

Devised and directed by Artistic Director Amy Sarno

Johnny Carson used to joke that the holidays are an emotional time because, "People travel thousands of miles to be with people they see only once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often."

In fact, the 2016 holiday season seemed especially stressful because of the deep-seated divisions surfacing in our country.

Artistic Director Amy Sarno says, "The holidays leave many families piling into the car for a trip to the nearest movie multiplex to catch every film being shown. Others plan a family reunion and jump into Lake Michigan. Still others decided a 'Feast of the Orphans' was the best way to avoid angry arguments. We've collected stories from individuals all over the region that explore family traditions and how they bring their family together or tear them apart. Sometimes silly and other times poignant, this is a view of the holidays that promises to jumpstart new ideas for the 2017 Holiday season."

Erasing the Distance (ETD) uses the power of performance to disarm stigma, spark dialogue, educate, and promote healing surrounding issues of mental health. ETD collects true stories from people whose lives have been impacted by mental health issues. We sculpt the stories into theatrical pieces for the stage, which are then performed by professional actors. Every performance is followed by a moderated, interactive dialogue with the audience that addresses the themes they have just seen.

Erasing the Distance is artistically led by Amy Sarno, a theatre artist engaged in social action through oral history, archival research, and interactive community workshops. The organization was founded by Brighid O'Shaughnessy in 2005. Sarno joined Erasing the Distance in 2016. In the last ten years, ETD has reached over 56,000 audience members through public performances, custom programs and training and education programs. For more information about us, visit www.erasingthedistance.org.

 

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