Heat of the Summer: a Staged Reading

I remember the feeling of coming back to Earth.

I was twenty years old, and I had spent most of the summer completely in denial; one of the symptoms of my manic episode was the total disbelief that I was experiencing it. I had struggled with depression before but never had any delusions. Turns out that sometimes bipolar disorder just shows up.

Granted, stress is a causal factor of bipolar, and I was six years into a long battle with anticipatory grief. My dad had terminal brain cancer, and I agonized over the future loss everyday. I thought that feeling would break me. I sure felt broken. And that feeling pushed me away from reality and into a fantasy within my mind. In actuality, it propelled me into a psych ward, a place whose primary purpose is generating profit over treating mental illness:

Berated by jaded staff too underpaid and overworked for anyone’s good. Threatened to be locked up if I didn’t sign the right papers. Made to compete, while physically disabled, with dozens of patients for the facility’s single patient-accessible phone. I was one of the lucky ones, with family and friends dedicated to my recovery even as I was in denial. For so many, institutionalization ends with being tossed out on the street in tens of thousands of dollars of debt. “Come again!” Our system is sicker than the people it “aims” to treat.

And yet, those with mental illness overcome this failed system every day. It’s what we do. We are survivors. We are mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, friends, scientists, teachers, artists, coaches, leaders. Heat of the Summer is a play about us, our allies, and the obstacles we face. It shines a light on the ugliness of American mental healthcare and the beauty of the patients wrapped up in it. It is here to say that you are not alone, you are loved, and you are worth so much more than it might feel like right now. _________________________________________________________________________

Money raised will go towards renting a performance space in the Boston area ($1000 allocated for renting space for rehearsals and three readings) and compensating local actors ($2000 for six actors’ time and preparation). All surplus funds will be donated to the National Institute of Mental Health.