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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

  • Presentation Night
    Presentation Night
    Mon, Oct 20
    Liquid State Brewery
    Oct 20, 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!)
  • Memoir Kickstart (first session)
    Memoir Kickstart (first session)
    Oct 21, 2025, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
    Lifelong, 119 W Court St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    In this six-week workshop, learn how to break your life story into manageable chunks and start the memoir you've always dreamed of writing!
  • Playwrights Jam
    Playwrights Jam
    Sun, Oct 26
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    Oct 26, 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!
  • Immigrant Stories Open Mic
    Immigrant Stories Open Mic
    Tue, Oct 28
    Oct 28, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
    Komonz Grill, 146 E State St, Ithaca, NY 14850
    Celebrate National Immigrants Day with an evening of stories, community, and connection, and help raise funds for people affected by the threat of deportation.
  • The Writers' Room
    The Writers' Room
    Multiple Dates
    Wed, Nov 05
    Tompkins County Public Library
    Nov 05, 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
  • 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!
  • 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!
  • The Book That Changed Everything: Storytelling open mic with Amy Reading
    The Book That Changed Everything: Storytelling open mic with Amy Reading
    Sep 14, 2025, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    The Downstairs, 121 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Join Pulitzer Prize finalist Amy Reading for a special "Ithaca Is Books Festival" edition of Story House's open-mic storytellers' jam.
  • Playwrights Jam
    Playwrights Jam
    Sun, Sep 07
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    Sep 07, 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!
  • Hard Rains' Gonna Fall
    Hard Rains' Gonna Fall
    Wed, Aug 27
    Aug 27, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
    MV Teal, 1000 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Share your stories about water, flooding, hard rain, or drought on a sunset cruise on Cayuga Lake.
  • Presentation Night
    Presentation Night
    Tue, Aug 26
    Liquid State Brewery
    Aug 26, 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, Aug 24
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    Aug 24, 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!
  • The Writers' Room
    The Writers' Room
    Multiple Dates
    Wed, Aug 20
    Tompkins County Public Library
    Aug 20, 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
  • Story Night
    Story Night
    Tue, Jul 22
    The Nocturnal Café
    Jul 22, 2025, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    The Nocturnal Café, 103 S Geneva St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Bring your own story or just come to listen! The theme is "SUMMER!" No competition, just an evening of swapping stories with friends and strangers.
  • Playwrights Jam
    Playwrights Jam
    Sun, Jul 20
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    Jul 20, 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!
  • AL! The Weird Tribute – A Musical Comedy Experience
    AL! The Weird Tribute – A Musical Comedy Experience
    Jul 19, 2025, 7:00 PM
    NRE Space, 402 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Get ready for an unforgettable night of laugh-out-loud musical comedy as AL! The Weird Tribute comes to Ithaca, NY! A ComedyHOF production
  • Presentation Night
    Presentation Night
    Tue, Jul 08
    Liquid State Brewery
    Jul 08, 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, Jun 29
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    Jun 29, 2025, 5:00 PM – 7:30 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!
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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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