The Awakenings Project's first foray into the theater involved an exhibit of artwork during the Fourth Wall Productions performance of the play, "Standing On My Knees," by John Olive, at Wright Junior College in May 2000.

In 2003, Awakenings members attended a team-buildingworkshop with The Second City in Chicago. Second City's outreach director, Dionna Griffin, led us through exercises called "Zip, Zap, Zop," "The Hitchhiker," mirroring, and a series of scenes called "Wheres." Dionna came out to our studio in Elgin, on April 4, 2009 to work with us again. It was a blast, and a blast from the past for some of us!

In 2004, Awakenings Drama helped four artists apply to the casting company for parts in "The Weatherman," which Robert Lundin's old friend Rosemary was working on. They had been in the same class at college, now she had become a set decorator for feature length films. She asked Bob to, "come down to the set. Check it out. Get your friends to be extras." What an idea. Of course! Why not get some Awakenings people to be extras? It would be a perfect project for Awakenings Drama. A perfect fit. We took their head shots, helped them fill out applications. Two were called in. They were very excited; we were very excited. If you blink during the movie, you might miss them, but they were in it, and they even got paid!

In 2005, the Awakenings Drama Program began working with John Dooley's Theater for Mental Health. TMH produces original plays and scenes. TMH may sponsor the works of playwrights with mental illness, or plays about things other than mental illness.

TMH knows that people with mental illnesses have many talents. And we can share those talents with the rest of the community at large through theater. There are also possibilities of becoming involved with psychodrama, a therapeutic technique of improvising and discussing scenes relevant to personal issues.

In both 2008 and 2009, Awakenings again teamed up with some more established theater groups for some exciting new opportunities.First, on October 10, 2008, Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, Illinois "Cheryl's Dreaming Big" performed Erasing the Distance. Awakenings exhibited alongside them. Then on May 14,2009, Flourish Studios, Chicago, we had an exhibit with "Erasing the Distance" (the company formerly known as "Cheryl's Dreaming Big") as they introduced people to their new theatrical productions for 2009 that shed light on mental illness in their Spring Showcase. Awakenings had art on exhibit, and our internationally acclaimed Awakenings Review journals on sale.

In May/June 2009, at the famed Steppenwolf Merle Reskin Garage Theater, Chicago at the invitation of Tara Mallen, the women of Awakenings had artwork on display through the end of the play, "The Walls," about women and madness and the link to creative genius.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Theater for Mental Health, please Contact Us and indicate your area of interest.