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BREAKING OUR
SILENCE

STORYTELLING FOR MENTAL HEALTH
APRIL - MAY 2022

“Breaking Our Silence” was a month-long series of events in Spring 2022 that looked to the power of film, theater, dance, literature, music, poetry, and other forms of creative expression to help lift the shroud of secrecy around mental illness. 
 
Timed to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month, the series was organized by Story House Ithaca and sponsored by The Sophie Fund, the National Alliance on Mental Illness Finger Lakes, and the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County.

Screenings, workshops, performances, and more!

“Breaking Our Silence” included a May 15, 2022 screening at Cinemapolis of the award-winning documentary Bedlam, movement workshops on managing anxiety and grief, an open-mic storytelling event featuring master storyteller Regi Carpenter, a virtual panel at the Spring Writes Literary Festival on writing about mental illness, a presentation and volunteer opportunity with the Prisoner Express program, Civic Ensemble ReEntry Theatre Program's production of Delia Divided, and more. The series culminated on Saturday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m. in a community celebration at Ithaca High School’s Kulp Auditorium. 

Featured events

  • The Writers' Room
    The Writers' Room
    Multiple Dates
    Wed, Jan 21
    Tompkins County Public Library
    Jan 21, 2026, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
    Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Work on your project in the company of fellow writers
  • Playwrights Jam
    Playwrights Jam
    Sun, Feb 01
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    Feb 01, 2026, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
    Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Lively readings of theatrical works in progress. Join as a playwright, actor, audience member, or all three!
  • It’s All Goin’ to the Dogs
    It’s All Goin’ to the Dogs
    Fri, Feb 13
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    Feb 13, 2026, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
    Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    A musical storytelling event with Regi Carpenter
  • Presentation Night
    Presentation Night
    Multiple Dates
    Tue, Feb 17
    Liquid State Brewery
    Feb 17, 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    Liquid State Brewery, 620 W Green St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Celebrate the joy of learning at this evening of short talks by non-experts (and there's beer!)
  • Story House Mending Circle
    Story House Mending Circle
    Multiple Dates
    Thu, Feb 19
    Feb 19, 2026, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
    SewGreen, 112 W Green St, #2, Ithaca, NY 14850
    Stitch, patch, share tips, and swap stories at our monthly mending circle led by Margaret Ball-Lumumba
  • Playwrights Jam
    Playwrights Jam
    Sun, Mar 01
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    Mar 01, 2026, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
    Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Lively readings of theatrical works in progress. Join as a playwright, actor, audience member, or all three!
  • From Memory to Memoir with Regi Carpenter
    From Memory to Memoir with Regi Carpenter
    Sat, Mar 14
    Tompkins County Public Library
    Mar 14, 2026, 1:00 AM – 3:00 AM
    Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Join master storyteller Regi Carpenter for a two-hour session on turning your memories into memorable stories!
  • Playwrights Jam
    Playwrights Jam
    Sun, Apr 12
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    Apr 12, 2026, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
    Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Lively readings of theatrical works in progress. Join as a playwright, actor, audience member, or all three!
  • Playwrights Jam
    Playwrights Jam
    Sun, May 10
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    May 10, 2026, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
    Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Lively readings of theatrical works in progress. Join as a playwright, actor, audience member, or all three!
  • Playwrights Jam
    Playwrights Jam
    Sun, Jan 11
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    Jan 11, 2026, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
    Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Lively readings of theatrical works in progress. Join as a playwright, actor, audience member, or all three!
  • My Multimedia Adventure: An Afternoon with Jonathan Miller
    My Multimedia Adventure: An Afternoon with Jonathan Miller
    Jan 11, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
    MACRE, 415 N Tioga St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Join Story House Ithaca's founder and co-director as he shares the story of his winding, purposeful career
  • Refuge | Refusal | Refueling
    Refuge | Refusal | Refueling
    Fri, Jan 09
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    Jan 09, 2026, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
    Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    An evening of poetry and prose by Michelle Courtney Berry
  • Playwrights Jam
    Playwrights Jam
    Sun, Dec 21
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    Dec 21, 2025, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
    Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Lively readings of theatrical works in progress. Join as a playwright, actor, audience member, or all three!
  • An Evening with Evan Horne
    An Evening with Evan Horne
    Fri, Dec 19
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    Dec 19, 2025, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
    Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    An intimate encounter with the "cinematic-folk" singer and songwriter originally from East Tennessee
  • The Writers' Room
    The Writers' Room
    Multiple Dates
    Wed, Dec 17
    Tompkins County Public Library
    Dec 17, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
    Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E Green St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Work on your project in the company of fellow writers
  • Presentation Night
    Presentation Night
    Tue, Dec 16
    Liquid State Brewery
    Dec 16, 2025, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    Liquid State Brewery, 620 W Green St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Celebrate the joy of learning at this evening of short talks by non-experts (and there's beer!)
  • Playwrights Jam
    Playwrights Jam
    Sun, Nov 23
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    Nov 23, 2025, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
    Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Lively readings of theatrical works in progress. Join as a playwright, actor, audience member, or all three!
  • Mending Circle
    Mending Circle
    Thu, Nov 20
    SewGreen
    Nov 20, 2025, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
    SewGreen, 112 W Green St, #2, Ithaca, NY 14850
    Stitch, patch, share tips, and swap stories at our monthly mending circle led by master mender Margaret Ball-Lumumba
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About The Sophie Fund

The Sophie Fund, Inc., principal sponsor of "Breaking Our Silence," is a 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable corporation established to support mental health initiatives aiding young people in greater Ithaca and Tompkins County. It supports programs and projects; raises awareness and fights the stigma around mental illness and treatment; advances a “zero suicide” ethos in the community; and serves as a community advocate for young people struggling with mental illness.

Story House Ithaca Line
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