2012 Surround: FREE Event 5/28!

WHAT IS THE STAGES SURROUND?

Each year Stages Surrounds a play with a series of free events that enrich and provide a more dynamic connection to that play. This year’s Surround focuses on Next To Normal and is presented in cooperation with our community partner, NAMI Metropolitan Houston (our local affiliate of the national organization). On Monday, May 28, we’re thrilled to host NAMI’s presentation of In Our Own Voice (IOOV), a unique public education program developed by NAMI, in which two trained speakers share compelling personal stories about living with mental illness and achieving recovery. IOOV is an opportunity for those who have struggled with mental illness to gain confidence and to share their individual experiences of recovery and transformation. Throughout the IOOV presentation, audience members are encouraged to offer feedback and ask questions. Audience participation is an important aspect of IOOV because the more audience members become involved, the closer they come to understanding what it is like to live with a mental illness and stay in recovery. 

Monday, May 28
7:00 PM
In Our Own Voice

At this IOOV, you will meet two dynamic, charismatic presenters: Elizabeth Green Smalling and Jerry Babbitt. Elizabeth was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, OCD, and PTSD at the age of 19 while studying psychology at University of Colorado at Boulder. Today she is living on her own, working at NAMI as the Peer & Recovery Program Coordinator and just graduated with her Masters in Healthcare Administration. Jerry was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder at the age of 68. Today he serves on the NAMI Board of Directors and is an IOOV trainer. He is a staff member at St. Joseph House, a transitional facility exclusively for people who suffer with mental illness.

We’ve got more Surround events coming up in June, including three more post-show dialogues and our student project What is Normal? Here are all the details!