The Manic Monologues is a play developed and premiered by Zachary Burton and Elisa Hofmeister at Stanford University.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] The play consists of autobiographical accounts of mental illness from people diagnosed with mental health disorders, the family and friends of mental health patients, and health professionals. The play explores diagnoses including bipolar, schizophrenia, depression, OCD, and PTSD in stories that are by turns tragic, humorous, and uplifting.[2][3][4][7][9][11][12][13][14][15][16]

The Manic Monologues
Poster
Written byZachary Burton; Elisa Hofmeister
Date premieredMay 2019 (May 2019)
Place premieredStanford University, California, USA
Original languageEnglish
SubjectMental Illness

The Washington Post calls it "A play that hopes to smash the stigma surrounding mental illness."[1]

Background

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Burton and Hofmeister wrote the play in the wake of Burton's 2017 bipolar diagnosis while a doctoral student at Stanford University, drawing inspiration from The Vagina Monologues and incorporating approximately 20 true stories of mental illness provided by individuals across the U.S., Canada, and beyond.[17][18][19] Psychiatrist Rona Hu (who served as advisor to the first season of Netflix's 13 Reasons Why[20][21][22]), psychologist and professor Stephen P. Hinshaw, advocate and performer Victoria Maxwell,[18][23][24] playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist Amy Freed, editor Tom Shroder, physician and Emmy awardee Seema Yasmin, and activist Kenidra Woods consulted on the writing and production of the play.[2][3][10][13][25][26]

The Manic Monologues premiered during Mental Health Awareness Month in 2019 at Stanford University.[1][2][17][19][27] The play has shown in Des Moines, Iowa,[6][11][28][29] where David Felton of BroadwayWorld dubbed it "A production I won't soon forget,"[11] and at the University of California, Los Angeles.[6][8][9][10][30] The script is currently offered to theaters and groups wishing to produce the play themselves.[2][5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Erin Blakemore (29 April 2019). "A play that hopes to smash the stigma surrounding mental illness". The Washington Post. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e Rachael Myrow (2 May 2019). "'Manic Monologues' Seeks to Disrupt the Stigma Around Mental Illness". KQED. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Karla Kane (24 April 2019). "'The Manic Monologues' puts a spotlight on mental illness"". Palo Alto Weekly. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  4. ^ a b Kaylee Beam (25 May 2019). "'The Manic Monologues' tells stories of pain and resilience". The Stanford Daily. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  5. ^ a b Julia Ingram (5 June 2019). "'The Manic Monologues' co-founders draw from personal experience in producing play to fight mental health stigma". The Stanford Daily. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  6. ^ a b c Alex Kekauoha (23 January 2020). "How two Stanford students turned mental health struggles into art". Stanford News. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Psych Byte: The Manic Monologues". International Bipolar Foundation. May 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  8. ^ a b Penelope Mack (1 November 2019). "Zach Burton '14 makes his debut". The Bowdoin Orient. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  9. ^ a b c "This School Year Smash Stigma with Manic Monologues". ProjectHappiness.org. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  10. ^ a b c Modern Healthcare (15 February 2020). "Student's struggle with mental illness inspires play". Modern Healthcare. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  11. ^ a b c DC Felton (9 November 2019). "BWW Previews: THE MANIC MONOLOGUES at Open Door Rep: A Production I Won't Soon Forget". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  12. ^ Sierra Porter (15 November 2019). "A psychotic break led this Stanford Ph.D. student to create a play on mental illness". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  13. ^ a b Jeff Bell (29 September 2019). "Spotlight – Stanford Grad Student Helps Fight Mental Health Stigma Through "The Manic Monologues"". The Adversity 2 Advocacy Alliance. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  14. ^ Maxwell Schaeffer (10 November 2019). "Open Door Rep - The Manic Monologues". iHeartRadio. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  15. ^ "The Manic Monologues". A Gentle Guide to Des Moines Theatre. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  16. ^ John Busbee (17 November 2019). "The Manic Monologues". The Culture Buzz. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  17. ^ a b Jeff Bell (29 September 2019). "Spotlight: Stanford Grad Student Helps Fight Mental Health Stigma Through "The Manic Monologues"". KCBS Radio. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  18. ^ a b Victoria Maxwell (21 February 2020). "The Healing Power of Sharing Your Story". PsychologyToday.com. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  19. ^ a b Udani Satarasinghe (4 February 2019). "Unspoken Narratives aims to foster mental health awareness through social media". The Stanford Daily. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  20. ^ Erin Digitale (24 March 2017). "Stanford psychiatrist advised producers of new teen-suicide drama". neuroscience.stanford.edu. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  21. ^ Wenlei Ma (26 April 2017). "Netflix defends 13 Reasons Why amid suicide controversy". news.com.au. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  22. ^ ""13 Reasons Why" Raises Questions Over Media And Mental Health". NPR. 3 May 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  23. ^ Amy Chillag; Sanjay Gupta (29 January 2016). "Actress fights bipolar disorder stigma with comedy". CNN. Retrieved 24 June 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ Karen Barrow (21 March 2017). "Patient Voices: Bipolar Disorder". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  25. ^ BET Staff (12 March 2020). "Future 40: Kenidra Woods Is The Mental Health Warrior We Need". BET.com. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  26. ^ Taylor Crumpton (2 July 2018). "Teen Activist Kenidra Woods Organized the Hope for Humanity Project Rally in St. Louis". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  27. ^ "NAMI Santa Clara County Newsletter" (PDF). National Alliance on Mental Illness. April 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  28. ^ Maxwell Schaeffer (13 November 2019). "Open Door Rep Opens "The Manic Monologues" to Benefit NAMI Greater DSM". WHO NewsRadio. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  29. ^ "NAMI Greater Des Moines Newsletter" (PDF). National Alliance on Mental Illness. November 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  30. ^ "The Manic Monologues". The Friends of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior at UCLA. February 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
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