The Mental Health Monologues Guide A step-by-step manual to change the conversation about mental illness in your community
Written by: Sonia Doshi
Hello! Producing the Mental Health Monologues was one of the most fulfilling opportunities that I have had as a student at Michigan. I really appreciate your consideration to bring this experience to your own campus. For me and for many of the performers at the event, the process and preparation leading up to the show was, in some ways, more impactful and important than the show itself. Many of the performers felt that the development of their script, their relationships with the other performers, and building confidence performing was, overall, a cathartic experience where they found acceptance and left with a greater understanding of their experiences. Many said that writing the script was the hardest part - going through their entire story again and then determining how to condense those experiences into a fiveminute performance. As the organizer of this event, I encourage you to provide as much support as you can to each of the performers from recruitment to the final performance. What they are doing requires a type of strength that many do not have, and it is important for you to remind them of that. Use this opportunity to get to know their stories and form friendships with the performers. Let them motivate you to give your all in creating a platform for them to provide perspective and understanding to your community by opening up a dialogue about the diversity of mental illnesses that exist and the importance of prioritizing mental health. I have written this guide to help you through this process. Please reach out to me for any questions or support that you may need throughout process because you are doing something incredibly important for your community, and I understand the energy and time that it takes to accomplish that. Please contact me often with questions, feedback, and updates on how things are going! I hope that the following guide gives you a starting point to putting on your own Mental Health Monologues show. Best of luck! Note: Italicized text indicates my commentary on the planning process from my experience running the first annual Mental Health Monologues at the University of Michigan. Sincerely, Sonia Doshi Email: doshisd@umich.edu
Pre-Planning • •
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Form planning team Define roles (Item 01) o These roles will likely change and expand as you go through the process, but it is good to decide who will generally be responsible for what so that delegating tasks is more efficient Establish timeline (Item 02) o As with the roles above, this is more of a starting point - there will obviously be more specific tasks to complete, which you can adjust or make more detailed in your own timeline. This gives you a high-level overview of the main items to be completed. Reserve weekly meeting room (3-4 months) Reserve theatre space o Reserve 2-3 hours for a final dress/tech rehearsal the day before o Reserve 3-4 hours for the final show o I found a space that was easily accessible on campus that had a 180-person seating capacity. This was an intimate and comfortable size for the type of experience we were trying to create for the show. Reserve Info Session Room Reserve Workshop Rooms o I chose a large room for the workshops with a whiteboard and enough space for performers to do group bonding activities and practice their performances.
Performer Recruitment •
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Marketing to recruit performers o Flyers (Item 03) o Social Media o Campus-Specific Outreach o Word of Mouth Info Session o Develop info session agenda (Item 04) o Create handout for attendees (Item 05) o This is more of a mass meeting for anyone interested in performing. Emphasize that this does not commit them to the show. This is just to give people a first look into understanding the process of performing. The handout should be emailed to anyone who shows interest but could not attend and also to any relevant student organizations that could pass it along. Auditions o Have a performer information spreadsheet (Item 06) o We did not hold formal auditions because recruiting students who were willing to perform and share their personal stories was difficult as it was. If you get a lot of interest, you can either allow everyone to go through the workshop process and prepare to potentially run two days of shows with different sets of performers or you could hold auditions, so modify accordingly. In our case, we met briefly (as described at the bottom of the info session handout) with each interested performer to discuss the time commitment and their proposed performance topic. o It is important to keep track of the performer info spreadsheet because it will be useful to refer to when determining show order. It was also useful to recognize that we had a variety of topic ideas and themes, which portrayed the breadth of mental health issues that exist to really expand the audience’s perspective. o You should also be prepared for maybe 1-2 performers to drop out over the course of the preparation. This is a stressful process and a big time commitment. The important thing for you, as the producer, is to continuously provide support to each of the performers and personally check in to keep them from falling behind.
Workshops •
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Here is a suggested breakdown of the workshops: o Workshop 1: Brainstorming and Getting Comfortable o Workshop 2: Storyboarding, talking out entire story and highlighting important aspects, writing an outline for the script ! Week 2 - meet outside of workshop time individually o Workshop 3: Developing the script, begin practicing and editing, bring in experienced monologue performers to provide tips and additional advice ! Week 3 - finalize script and start practicing, meet individually o Workshop 4: Performance style and format and practice ! Week 4 - practice performance with correct stylization, meet individually o Workshop 5: Informal dress rehearsal and practice ! Week 5 - practice, practice, practice! Ready-made agendas for set of five workshops (Item 07) Most of your performers will not have any stage experience and will likely be sharing their story in public for the first time. These workshops provide a space for the performers to develop their scripts, feel prepared for the show, and practice. This also keeps you connected to the performers and keeps you aware of who is struggling or may need more attention, in terms of preparing for the final performance. These workshops mattered more to me than the show itself because it allowed me to develop a deep relationship with each of the performers and their stories. At the same time, it also provided them with an outlet to discuss and share their stories in ways that they likely had not before. I would recommend doing 4-6 workshops (once a week, 2 hours each) between recruitment and the final show. We did 4 in our first year because we were on a shorter timeline. The workshops are times when the whole group (performers and workshop leaders from the planning team) will meet to ensure that everyone is on track. You and the other workshop leaders should also make an effort to meet individually with the performers outside of the workshops as much as possible. Those one-on-one meetings outside of the workshops were probably the most useful for our performers because they got personal time to edit and practice with us without being nervous about performing in front of the whole group. This is also why it is important to have 1 workshop leader for 1 performer at each of the workshops. We always reserved time to do one-on-one editing/practicing time between coalition leaders and performers near the end each workshop, as well.
Fundraising and Partnerships •
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Partnering with other student organizations on campus is extremely important for marketing purposes for the day of the show. Reach out to: o Mental health advocacy groups o Central Student Government o Any health or public health-related groups o The Depression Center and/or Counseling and Psychological Services o We partnered with the Central Student Government Health Issues Commission, several mental health advocacy groups, Student Housing, Greek Life, Counseling and Psychological Services, and the UM Depression Center. Partnering with our Central Student Government was very important in terms of receiving the funding that we needed for the additional expenses on show day. o You should consider seeking out those types of sponsorships, apply for funding through your campus resources, or put on smaller fundraising events beforehand, if necessary. Create an overall budget (Item 08) o As you can see, our theater rental space did not cost us any money because it was in an academic facility, which was saved us a lot of money. Otherwise, larger theaters could cost up to $800, so you should adjust your budget depending on the size of your event. o Additional Expenses Explained: ! T-Shirts: We had all performers, crewmembers, and volunteers wear matching tshirts that had our event’s slogan “Speak Your Mind” so that performers would not have to worry about what to wear for the event. ! Flowers: After each student performs, we gave them a rose with a quote as a congratulations gift, immediately as they returned backstage. This performance is an extremely emotional experience and to have something immediately to show your gratification for their courage is important.
Prep for Show Day •
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Having Counseling and Psychological Services support is very important o Members of the audience may be triggered during the event, so it is important that you have resources available during the show for audience members to go to in case of emergency. o We had CAPS Professionals who sat in the back row and were introduced at the beginning of the show (as well as mentioned in the program), in the event that an audience member needed additional support or was triggered by a performance. We also reserved a nearby classroom, in case an audience member needed to have a private place to talk to a mental health professional. Design show’s program o Program design (Item 09) o Important Elements: ! Disclaimer regarding triggering performances ! Thanks to sponsors and volunteers Prepare marketing strategy for show o Email Template (Item 10) o Flyer (Item 11) o Social Media o Word of Mouth o Campus Resources Dress Rehearsal o At least 2 informal dress rehearsals and 1 formal tech rehearsal o I recommend doing a formal tech rehearsal before the day of the show to ensure that tech is prepared for all of the changes and so that the person in charge of recording the monologues is aware of how to set up their audio and video correctly. Show logistics o Communicate lighting and sound cues to the tech crew during dress rehearsal (Item 12) o Communicate stage changes to anyone managing the back stage with you (Item 13) o Tickets handed out to each attendee, but this is optional since the show should be free anyway (Item 14)
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Item 03: Performance Recruitment Flyers These are example flyers that we utilized to recruit performers for the show.
GG N N I I STT CCAAS LLLL!! CCAA Share your story
Healthy Minds Student Leadership Coalition is looking for performers for a Mental Health Monologues Show...
INTERESTED IN PERFORMING? EMAIL SONIA DOSHI AT DOSHISD@UMICH.EDU We are looking for performers for a monologues show on mental health. The performance can be a 5 minute rant, spoken word, poem, song, dance, etc. This is open to students, faculty, or staff! The show is on April 1st from 5-6:30pm in the Keene Theatre of East Quad.
Item 04: Info Session Agenda This is an agenda for the informational session that we held for any interested performers before the process started.
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Item 05: Info Session Handout This is a handout that summarized the informational session(s) that we held and the overall process of participating in the Mental Health Monologues that we gave to any interested performers. !
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Item 06: Performer Info Spreadsheet
This spreadsheet included important notes about all of the interested performers such as their performance theme and style.
Item 07: Workshops 1-5 Agendas These are example agendas for a set of five workshops to guide performers to prepare for the show.
Workshop 1 Time: 2-4 PM Purpose: Get people comfortable to talk about their stories and with the other performers, figure out the main message to relay to the audience Materials: Post-Its Paper Poems Expo Markers Mind Map Examples Agenda Ice Breaker: (15-20 minutes) o Name, Year, Major o Introduce person to the left of you o Step forward if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done this and then explain o Where are all my people who - exchange and then last person in the middle Rundown of the process overall (10 minutes) Brainstorming Activity (20 minutes) o Post-It Activity: General performance concerns post-it grouping activity: Everyone writes at least 3 questions or concerns they have performing (5 minutes to write) and then we all work together to categorize the post-its and understand what to focus on/whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most important o Follow-Up discussion Warm-Up (10-15 minutes) o Performance tips/techniques o Performing pre-written monologues (silly poems) - partner up Writing Activity (20-25 minutes) o Mind Map - take the main topic/theme and branch out everything related to that topic that you find important, key experiences - on white boards o First work through an example all together 1-v-1 Consulting (rest of the time) o Workshop leaders + performers
Workshop 2 Time: 2-4 PM Purpose: Figuring out how to tell their story and how to frame it into a 5 minute performance Materials: Tell performers to bring laptops or paper/pen and mind maps Small pieces of paper for story boarding Agenda ● Ice Breaker (10 minutes) ○ Name, Year, Major ○ Come up with word that starts with the same letter as name; try and go around and say everyone’s word and name ○ 2 Truths and a Lie (time permitting) ● Discussion ○ What is your experience performing? (10 minutes) ■ Go around room discussing previous experience (speaking, singing, dancing, etc.) ○ Index cards - put questions on it with no names and pass them out again (10 minutes) ■ Recap concerns from last week for new people ■ What are your concerns performing? Or what questions do you have in general? ● Storyboarding (20-30 minutes) - bring back their mind maps from the week before ○ Sheets of paper - write key buzzwords, points, or drawings of specific experiences that really stand out to you to capture your experience can be as most as 10 as few as 1 ○ Pick which pieces to include and order the pieces of paper in whatever way makes the most sense to you ● Share it out - tell it like a story; one-on-one (pairing workshop leader and performers as numbers allow) (20-30 minutes) ○ Provide feedback/questions ○ Guided questions: ■ Where are you at in the process? ■ What is the general message you want to leave the audience with? ■ How do you want to feel at the end of your performance? or Why are you choosing to perform? ■ Review outline/script ■ Ask questions/holes ○ *If performer is still unsure about how to focus performance ■ Ask them to talk through their story blankly ■ Help them pick out instances that stand out to you objectively ● Start writing the outline ● Debriefing: (10 minutes) ○ Let participants know what the next workshop’s goals will be ○ Try to have a rough draft of a script for the next meeting and one individual practice ○ Reserve individual practice space ○ List of potential props
Workshop 3 Time: 2-4 PM Purpose: Editing scripts and guest advice Materials: Email previous performers about coming to talk at workshop Remind performers to bring computer or paper/pen, mind map, storyboard, outline, and script rough draft Agenda ● Ice Breaker (10 minutes) ○ Name ○ What is the most interesting thing that you have done in your entire life, ever? ○ Thorn Rose Bud (something bad from the last week, something good, and then something you’re excited for / looking forward to) ● Props (3 minutes) ○ Start thinking about props you may want ● Video examples (15 minutes) ○ Kylie Miller: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CFdp_oULdc ○ Neil Hilborn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnKZ4pdSU-s ■ Good example of including humor to diffuse tension; repetition ○ Sabrina Benaim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqu4ezLQEUA ■ Good example of volume changes for emphasis ● Talking with previous performers (Yumi, Anna, Dana?) (30 minutes) ○ Do their performance if willing ○ Tips and advice on how to approach their performance (style, nerves, emotions, how they prepared for the show) ○ Challenges ○ Questions/answers concerns performing ● Peer-editing (40 minutes) ○ Break into two groups 1. People ready to peer review scripts/progress, 2. People who wish to work alone ○ In the middle briefly talk about progress in scripts ○ Practice scripts if time available ● Talk to the Wall and read your script (15-20 minutes) ○ (Play music) ● Mandated reporting (5 minutes) (Sonia) ● Debriefing (5 minutes) ○ Asking participants to practice scripts and be ready to present for the next meeting ○ Next workshop will be a rehearsal (either a small presentation or a presentation in front of the whole group)
Workshop 4 Time: 2-4 PM Purpose: Performance style, rehearsal, time to practice
Materials: Remind performers to bring computer or paper/pen, mind map, storyboard, outline, and script rough draft Agenda ● Quick icebreaker (5 minutes) - something exciting you did over spring break ● Script work (20-25 minutes) ○ Break into 2 groups - individual work and peer editing ● Style of performance - pointers (5 minutes) ● Annotate your script (25-30 minutes) ○ Mark where you want to sound powerful (most important areas of your script, metaphors) ○ Mark where you want to pause for effect ○ Mark where you want to slow down to a rhythm or speak quietly ○ Mark if you want to use any hand gestures ○ Practice speaking out loud to see how it sounds and change accordingly ● Rehearsal: (45 minutes) ○ Either present in small groups or in front of the whole group - take a vote ○ Practice presenting (scripts allowed) ○ Practice standing up if you plan to perform standing up ○ What are you doing with your hands? Holding the script? Moving them? ● Debriefing (10 minutes) ○ T-shirt form - fill out if haven’t already ○ Props reminder, think about whether you want to be standing, sitting, other logistics ○ Start thinking about titles ○ Sign-up for one-on-one meetings with Sonia ○ Invite performers to bring friends and market within own communities ○ Talk about an after dinner
Workshop 5 Time: 2-4 PM Purpose: Rehearsal, time to practice Materials: ● Remind performers to bring script ● Any props (if necessary) Agenda ● Rehearsal: small group/individuals (30 minutes) ○ Either practice to the wall or with a workshop leader ○ Practice timed ○ Tips: ■ Projecting and speaking clearly ■ Be careful of rocking ■ What are you doing with your hands? ■ Practice standing or sitting (how you will do it) ■ Keep working on style and annotating these in ● Rehearsal: big group (60-75 minutes) ○ Perform it for the group ○ Timed and try to finish in 5 minutes ○ Feedback afterwards if there’s time ● Debriefing: (10 minutes) ○ Finalize title ○ Sign-up for one-on-one meetings with Sonia or Morgan ○ Sign-up for a time slot during the dress rehearsal ○ Invite performers to bring friends and market within own communities ○ Option of practicing in front of coalition at the next meeting?
Item 08: Budget This is an overall budget of key items that we needed to expense for the show. This funding was supported by partnering and sponsoring organizations. Budget: MENTAL HEALTH MONOLOGUES SOURCE EXPENSES
ESTIMATED COST
Theater Rental
$
Water Bottles (x20)
$
Flyer Printing (x200)
$
PURPOSE
Food (Apple Sauce and Fruit Plates)
$
Rental space for the show Hydration for Cast and Crew on 8.00 show day Marketing for the final show on 100.00 Central and North Campus Nourishment for Cast and Crew on 20.00 show day
Cast and Crew T-Shirts
$
200.00 performance day
-
NOTES Academic building space, so rental is free for student organizations Nestle Pure Life Bottled 24 Pack
Dollar Bill Printing Color Kroger Fruit and Veggie Plates (2-3), Apple Sauce Packs (3-4)
Cast's stage T-shirts to wear on Roses as Performer Gift following performance for sharing emotional and intense personal Kroger Roses 15.00 story on stage tentative (bench, cardboard, rug, etc.) $50.00 Props for each performance
Flowers
$
Props !"!#$
%&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&!"!#$$
Item 09: Program This is an example of a program that we designed for our first show. This program was handed out to every audience member by the ushers before the start of the show. healthy minds student leadership coalition presents
resources
UM Counseling and Psychological Services (734) 764-8312 Dean of Students (734) 764-7420
UM Psychiatric Emergency 24-hr (734) 996-4747
The Mental Health Monologues
Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center 24-hr (734) 936-3333 Department of Public Safety (734) 763-1131 keene theatre, east quad april 1st, 2015
university of michigan ann arbor, mi
special thanks to
program notes
sponsors
Welcome to the first ever Mental Health Monologues event at the University of Michigan! This event is designed to provide an honest and candid representation of mental health and illness. All performances today are representative of the performers’ personal experiences. Mental health is an incredibly important topic of conversation in society and on our campus – thank you for joining us today.
Healthy Minds Network Arts at Michigan Central Student Government – Health Issues Commission Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Depression Center
represented student organizations Active Minds at the University of Michigan Advocates for Mental Health CAPS Student Advisory Board Greek Life Human Rights through Education Own It PULSE University Housing Wolverine Support Network
crew Joe Calabrisotto Sushmi Diraviam Sonia Doshi Daniel Eisenberg Jennifer Frederick Grace Fu Sean Kua Andrew Lynch Pragya Mathur
Alyson McAdams Puja Nair Diana Oum Morgan Rondinelli Tara Thomas Kayla Vaughan Blake Wagner III Cristopher Wang Ella Webb
The Healthy Minds Student Leadership Coalition is an organization that brings together students from across campus who represent a variety of communities at Michigan, including mental health advocacy groups, Greek Life, University Housing, and more. If you are interested in joining the coalition to promote mental health awareness with us, please email doshisd@umich.edu. *Disclaimer: Speakers may be presenting material that may be potentially triggering. Additionally, any advice and suggestions from the speakers may be helpful but is not a substitute for professional advice. The content presented at this event should not replace the specialized training and professional judgement of a health care or mental health professional. If you are currently in treatment or therapy, it may be beneficial to consult your therapist, psychiatrist, or mental health professional before using any exercises or advice mentioned at this event.
program 1.! Superpowers, Morgan Rondinelli “Do one thing every day that scares you.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
program 6. My Story, Melanie Weinstein “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” – William Earnest Henley
2. Re(dis)covery, Anna Smith 7. The Chameleon, Sean Liu “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” – Maya Angelou
3. 14 Lines, Dana Shin “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” – Ernest Hemingway
“More often than not, it’s hard to believe in yourself when no one else does. You are but one voice in a crowd of millions, but shout loud enough, and maybe, just maybe, others will start to hear what you have to say.” – Sean Liu
8. Chinese Finger Trap, Yumi Taguchi 4. The Surface, Erica Hassien “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” – Ernest Hemingway
“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” – Reinhold Niebuhr
Instrumental Credit: “Up In Flames” by Coldplay
9. Gesundheit, Andrew Lynch
5. The Girl at the Corner, Samiha Matin
“Be somebody who makes everybody feel like somebody” – Kid President
“I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can’t make it through one door, I’ll go through another door – or I’ll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present.” – Rabindranath Tagore
Thank you for coming. If you would like to support the Healthy Minds Student Leadership Coalition, there is a donation box at the doors. If you would like to learn more about our initiative, email Sonia Doshi at doshisd@umich.edu.
Item 10: Marketing Email Template This is an email draft that was sent to various organizations and interested people around campus to advertise and invite them to the Mental Health Monologues show.
Item 11: Show Flyer This is an example flyer used to advertise the Mental Health Monologues show.
Item 12: Lighting and Sound Cues This is a minute-by-minute breakdown of lighting and sound cues that were given to the tech crew to manage for the show day. !"#$%&'("%&$)'!*#*&*+,"-'./01' 2*34'5)36-'7%#+'%#8'9":)'53";' !"#$%"&#'(&)'*+,&)'-,./' ! "#$%! &%'()#*+#,-! 4546*$76586*$! &,,)'!,*%-!
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Item 14: Ticket Template This is an example of a ticket that we created to hand out to attendees of the show, as a way for the ushers to keep track of the number of seats that were filled since the show was free to attend. This is your
This is your
TICKET
to change the conversation.
Mental Health Monologues 2015
to change the conversation.
to change the conversation. #SPEAKYOURMIND
This is your
TICKET
to change the conversation.
TICKET
to change the conversation.
#SPEAKYOURMIND Mental Health Monologues 2015
This is your
#SPEAKYOURMIND
This is your
to change the conversation.
Mental Health Monologues 2015
TICKET
#SPEAKYOURMIND Mental Health Monologues 2015
This is your
TICKET
#SPEAKYOURMIND
This is your
TICKET
Mental Health Monologues 2015
to change the conversation.
#SPEAKYOURMIND Mental Health Monologues 2015
This is your
Mental Health Monologues 2015
TICKET
TICKET
to change the conversation.
#SPEAKYOURMIND Mental Health Monologues 2015
#SPEAKYOURMIND