McCarter Theatre Center’s The Manic Monologues

Launched to disrupt stigma around mental health, the virtual experience is built around 21 individual stories performed by professional actors, and enhanced by digital design and technology. The Manic Monologues was originally created and inspired by the experience of Zack Burton, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder while finishing his Ph.D. After his fellow student, Elisa Hofmeister helped him through his journey to recovery, the two set out to address the lack of visible narratives around mental health. The result was a series of true personal accounts submitted by a diverse range of individuals, and curated into a live stage play first performed at Stanford University in 2019.

The McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ planned to present a professional staged reading of the play in 2020. In the wake of COVID-19, the project was reconceived for virtual consumption. With Princeton University Health Services, The 24 Hour Plays®, Innovations in Socially Distant Performance at the Lewis Center for the Arts and additional key partners including One Mind, The Manic Monologues is now a free interactive website where visitors can choose their own journey and watch stories at their own pace. A virtual resource guide is integrated into the site, with links to support and advocacy initiatives, interviews and panels with leading experts, and recommended reading and educational materials.

Click here to experience The Manic Monologues.

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