"From Solitary to Solidarity" opens on Wednesday

[Janelle Rainville]

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UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO DRAMA DEPARTMENT PRESENTS
>From Solitary to Solidarity: Unravelling the Ligatures of Ashley Smith

March 19, 20 & 22 at 8 pm, $17 General / $13 students
Friday, March 21st at 12:15 pm, $15 General / $10 students

uWaterloo Drama presents From Solitary to Solidarity: Unravelling the Ligatures of Ashley Smith, a new project exploring issues of mental health in the context of the troubling story of Ashley Smith, a teenager who died at Grand Valley Institution for Women in 2007. The inquest on the circumstances surrounding her incarceration and eventual death recently declared her death a homicide. Ashley's story has sparked a great deal of attention for its shocking exposure of Canada's prison system and neglect of those suffering from mental illness.

This production is not a recreation and performance of the life of Ashely Smith. From Solitary to Solidarity uses a collaborative performance approach to try to understand the life and death of Ashley Smith. The play is conceived and directed by Professor Andy Houston and written by uWaterloo alumna Melanie Bennett. This performance incorporates the personal perspectives of the students who perform - students who are roughly the same age as Ashley when she died.  Designers, Gill Lesperance, Paul Cegys, Tallen Kay & Sharon Secord have created a visually stimulating environment that layers video upon bodies upon an institutional structure, while  Colin Labadie's sound design completes the sensory experience of the play.

For more information about the play, the background and the players, please visit www.solitary2solidarity.com<http://www.solitary2solidarity.com> or listen to director Andy Houston<http://youtu.be/DZV2ahGU6Ng> talk about what this project means to him.

... Also, be sure to check out the interactive exhibition that will contextualize your experience of the performance...
Small Acts of Repair Toward Mental Health: A Space for Engagement
March 10 to March 22 in ML Gallery
Open 9 am until 4 pm on weekdays, and until 10 pm on performance days
FREE

In creating From Solitary to Solidarity, uWaterloo students will use different methods to research and explore attitudes toward mental health and institutions in society.  Opening in the first week of March, the project will present a student-designed interactive exhibition on public perceptions and responses to mental health, and to the experiences of Ashley Smith.
Through the use of art, dance, writing and reflection this space aims to explore the state of mental health at our university and in the surrounding community. The organizers invite all students, faculty, and community members to visit this space in hopes that we can begin a conversation about mental health. By exploring what mental health is and what it means in the university community, we aim to challenge existing stigmas surrounding mental health. This space will explore what difficulties those with mental illness face, in daily life and when reaching out for help. This space symbolizes our "Small Act of Repair", in which we hope to take steps towards a greater understanding of individual experiences with mental health, and promote awareness of the presence of mental health.
The goals of the exhibition are to educate and challenge people's perceptions about:

*      What mental health is

*      What challenges people face when dealing with mental health, either an issue or the challenges people encounter when trying to receive help

*      How people cope with mental health issues, this is an opportunity to raise awareness about different coping skills

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