Talking It Out Virtual Arts Festival To Present Holiday Open-Mic, December 17

On December 17th at 7pm EST, the Talking It Out Virtual Arts Festival will present a special holiday open-mic night event co-hosted by Producing Artistic Director Anthony J. Piccione & Program Manager Maria fe Picar, where all attendees will be welcome to perform after a brief festival introduction.

Returning after popular demand, this open mic is free to sign-up for, and artists can present any short scene, monologue, poem, short film, or a musical number of their choosing based on the theme of mental health for this casual, interactive event taking place on Zoom which will be followed by a cabaret night and poetry slam to be announced in early 2023.

Free RSVPs are available at www.eventbrite.com/e/talking-it-out-virtual-arts-festival-2022-2023-season-tickets-394717419427, with donations also being accepted to go toward festival programming in 2023. More updates and information can be found by visiting www.linktr.ee/talkingitoutfest or following @talkingitoutfest on Facebook or Instagram.

Now in its third season, the Talking It Out Virtual Arts Festival's current leadership slate consists of Producing Artistic Director Anthony J. Piccione, Associate Artistic Director Ryan Thornhill, Program Manager Maria fe Picar & Literary Manager Angelo Lorenzo.

Founded in 2020 by Mr. Piccione during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the original Talking It Out performance was presented live at the Dramatists Guild Foundation's Music Hall on March 10th, 2019. At the time of the initial readings, Michael D'Antoni wrote a rave review of the event for Five-Star Arts Journals, describing it as having "nothing less than pure, unadulterated, genuine, unpretentious focus on the agonies and anguish of mental illness, while also celebrating the triumphs and accomplishments over those living with, or those living with someone who suffers from mental health issues."

Originally intended to be a one-time event of minimalistic staged reading of short plays, the event has since been revived as an ongoing festival of plays - as well as an expanding line-up of additional arts programming - presented online via Zoom. Hi! Drama praised the inaugural November 2020 Zoom performance for having "drawn from a wide range of ages and genders" and for "detailing the pain and distress encountered not only by those suffering from the various disorders but also those who support them", while Young-Howze Theatre Journal praised the festival in a review earlier this season as "proof that digital theatre works." Each of the plays is presented by an ensemble of actors from different corners of the world, highlighting various issues of mental illness - ranging from anxiety, depression, autism, ADHD, PTSD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, dementia, and more.

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