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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, Dec 03
    Tompkins County Public Library
    Dec 03, 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!)
  • 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
  • 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!
  • 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, 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!
  • 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
  • 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!
  • 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, 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
  • The Writers' Room
    The Writers' Room
    Wed, Nov 19
    Tompkins County Public Library
    Nov 19, 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
  • 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.
  • 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!
  • Postponed: Memoir Kickstart
    Postponed: Memoir Kickstart
    Tue, Oct 21
    Oct 21, 2025, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
    Lifelong, 119 W Court St, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
    Note: The Memoir Kickstart workshop will not not meet this fall. We will announce new dates when we have them.
  • 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!)
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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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