Speak of Hope

I saw a show today called Speak of Hope. It was directed by my friend Emily Wendler as her senior capstone, and it was an original piece created by her and her lovely/amazingly talented cast: Bryan Bowen, Torreke Evans, Nia Gipson, Stephanie Golub, Brandon Richards, Jennifer Shillingburg, Megan Smith, Alex Tolle, and John Wontrop. It was a show about depression, self harm, and suicide. And it was hard. It was emotional. It was honest. It was real. And it was so so important. There were so many images and honest words that just screamed at me. There were also several moments that reminded me that no one is alone. It tackled bullying, mental illness as a health issue, and homophobia. It's one of the most important shows I've seen in a very long time. And I am so proud of every single member that contributed something to this work of art. I'm so very proud to be in a place where this message is spoken, and where it is heard. Today, we raised $265 for donations that will be going to The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and The Trevor Project, not including those sent through the gofundme page. I am unable to fully express what my heart feels right now.

On a less serious note. Alex's friend is here to see the show, and she apparently saw my Red vs Blue keychain and got very excited, so we chatted about our favorite show for quite a bit.