"This Is My Brave: The Show" Dispels Mental Illness Stigma With New York City Event

New York City, September 29, 2015 (Newswire.com) - 1 in 4 people face mental health issues, meaning nearly every family in America has been touched by this treatable but challenging issue. Yet, the conversation on the subject still remains muted and the sufferers closeted.  “This Is My Brave - The Show” (TIMB) is raising the volume of conversation around mental health one powerful story at a time. The lauded, ground-breaking concept, which has received rave reviews and has been touted as “healing for humanity,” is coming to NYC for one night only on Sunday, October 4th at Hunter College’s Kaye Playhouse just in time for Mental Illness Awareness Week (10/5-11).

This is My Brave New York will feature fourteen individuals whose first act of bravery was auditioning for a role in this very unique evening. The cast will share their true stories about living with, or loving someone with a mental illness through comedy, poetry, personal essays and original music. This is My Brave New York City follows acclaimed productions in Boston, Harrisburg, Iowa City and Washington, DC with more cities to be announced soon.

Featured performers include:

• Elizabeth Swados, award-winning composer, director and writer - author of the book My Depression: A Picture Book which recently was adapted by HBO into a documentary film
• Comedian Christian Finnegan who has appeared on “Conan,” “The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson” and “Chappelle’s Show” among others
• Pop culture writer Jenna Marotta (featured on the websites for Esquire, New York, Playboy, The New York Times Magazine,, etc.)
• Kathleen Frazier - author of Sleepwalker: The Mysterious Makings and Recovery of a Somnambulist [Skyhorse Publishing, 9/8/15]
• Musician Danielle Fiorello, Slam poet Kamilah Holtz, and many more!

The Depressed Cake Shop, a pop-up concept that raises money and awareness for mental health issues, will be joining This Is My Brave for this unique evening of storytelling and cakes. “One in four people suffers from mental illness, and the Depressed Cake Shop, a worldwide grass roots collective, was established to raise awareness of this important health issue by selling gray cakes at pop-up shops around the world,” says Depressed Cake Shop's Valerie Van Galder.

WHEN: Oct. 4, 2015 at 4 pm

WHERE: The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, New York, NY

WHY: To change the conversation about mental illness to remove the stigma

HOW: Tickets on sale now http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/kayeplayhouse/calendar

WHO: 14 brave individuals will share their stories live, on stage; Depressed Cake Shop’s beautiful gray baked goods will be on sale with all proceeds benefitting This Is My Brave’s mission of ending stigma through storytelling

Jennifer Marshall and Anne Marie Ames launched the 501(c)3 non-profit in 2014 to create a safe community and a platform to speak out about stigma associated with mental illnesses. Both had been impacted by mental illness and wanted to fight the isolation and disconnection by giving people from the community a chance to share their stories on stage.

Established in 2013 in the United Kingdom, the Depressed Cake Shop has raised over $70,000 for charities around the world by engaging local bakers to donate and sell gray baked goods. The project has received press attention around the world, and continues to grow as the message spreads through social media and the numerous press mentions the project has had, in outlets like Time Magazine, the Huffington Post, Vice, and Oprah Magazine.

In 2015 This Is My Brave expanded with unique productions in 6 cities – DC, Boston, Iowa City, and Harrisburg, PA, with shows in NYC and Los Angeles this fall. They also opened the Mental Health America’s annual conference in Alexandria, VA on June 3rd, and will be presenting at the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) annual conference in Chicago this September. For info on all shows, visit www.thisismybrave.org/events/.​

Contact Information:

Jennifer Marshall, Co-Founder/Executive Director
[email protected] ​
Cell: 571.243.8369

Lorne Jaffe, NYC Producer
[email protected]
Cell: 917-885-0985

Valerie Van Galder
[email protected]
Cell: 310-890-1942