Why I Fight, a theatrical adaptation of the 2019 Michigan Quarterly Review novelette by James Munro Leaf, dramatizes the perils of being defined by a mental illness and being caught in the psychiatric system. It probes the presumption of labels and the complex dynamics of power, dehumanization, and abuse in clinical settings. Creative director Gillian Eaton and actor Malcolm Tulip, faculty of the U-M School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, engage several of their students in this production at the Residential College’s Keene Theater.
Based on collaboration with the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Program and other University colleagues, a series of panels on mental illness and the arts follow each theatrical performance. Panelists will expand on themes in Why I Fight and invite conversation with audience members. Individuals and family members who live with mental illness; U-M faculty conducting psycho-social, public health, and biomedical research; mental health practitioners and community advocates, including the arts community, will explore the roles of creativity and nature for healing. The panels will be moderated by Dr. Melvin McInnis, Director of the Prechter Program, and other mental health experts.
A catered reception and information tables for resources in the arts and mental wellness organizations accompany each performance.
***This event has been canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak; the health and safety of attendees is our top priority. We are looking to reschedule this event for the fall of this year.***
Free and open to the public with 4 performance dates:
Thursday
March 26
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Friday
March 27
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Saturday
March 28
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Sunday
March 29
2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
For more information please visit the Residential College's website.
Find a list of our panelists and their bios here.