Off-Key Anthem Theatre Collective

Happy pride month everyone! Thank you to the amazing Monica Wattigney LeBeau for this incredible logo!

Wishing everyone a beautiful holiday season! We hope 2019 brings you lots of joy and happiness!

today instead of having someone talk about mental health we at off-key anthem theatre collective decided to post something that means a lot to us. the reason we are having our “stronger than a breakdown” play readings is to help de-stigmatize what mental health is. it was imperative for us to do it during the week of mental health awareness so that anyone who came to see our show knew that they had support through our company. you are not alone and what you feel and how you deal with it is valid. these buttons represent precisely how we feel about mental health and how it is perceived. so always remember “you are beautiful because you let yourself feel, and that is a brave thing indeed”. **kyourstigmas

So this week as we lead up to our “Stronger Than a Breakdown” A New Works Play Reading we will be doing a Humans of Mental Health where people will honestly and truthfully discuss what it is like to live with mental illness and how speaking about it and bringing it to light is helping de-stigmatize it and allows others to know they aren’t alone. Today Anne Ogden has graciously shared her story with us!

What is your mental illness?

My current diagnosis is something called “double depression.” Double Depression is a combination of dysthymia and major depressive disorder. Dysthymia is a chronic low/dark mood, or a “veil of sadness” that occurs pretty much every day. This is accompanied by regular episodes of major depression. So the difference is that someone with non-chronic depression’s regular baseline mood is “normal,” whereas my regular baseline mood is somewhat “sad.” At least, this is what I’ve found in research or been told by professionals – I honestly don’t completely understand it myself.

How long have you known about it?

I’ve known about my double depression since college. But I was diagnosed with a different mental illness, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, around the age of 10. So I’ve always known I’ve had some sort of anxiety and depression.

What are some struggles you’ve faced and how have you overcome them?

I think the biggest thing is that because of my “constant low mood,” I never really developed any sort of self-esteem. The depression would always tell me that I was the worst at everything I did. So it’s a struggle to pursue something you really love, like acting, when your brain tells you those sorts of things. But I have gotten a lot better. It has taken a lot of therapy, the un-learning of toxic thought patterns/habits, and differentiating between the “logical” and the “emotional.”

What is the one thing you wish people knew about your mental illness?

I just want people to know that those with depression, or any mental illness, are not “weak.” Depression makes everything feel 100x more difficult than what the average person would feel. But we still do those difficult things. We still work and live and succeed just as much as everyone else. Doesn’t that make us incredibly strong?

How do you hope to help spread awareness on mental health?

I’m not sure. There's so much we could do. I just want us all to talk about it more. So many of us have mental health issues, yet we are still afraid of the stigma. Why aren’t we talking more about the issues that so many of us share? I really want to use art and theatre as an outlet for this.

Today’s playwright spotlight goes to our Literary Manager and Resident Playwright Emily Hughes!

Emily Hughes is the Literary Manager/Resident Playwright for Off-Key Anthem Theatre Collective. Her play, "The Year We Cried an Ocean and Drowned," recently had its world premier at The Den Theatre. As someone who struggles with mental health, she believes the de-stigmatization of this topic is not only important, but life saving. She hopes her play inspires others to share their story, encourages people to seek help, and pushes people to check on their friends. Because sometimes the hardest thing to do is reach out for help.

“Discussing Demons” by: Emily Hughes “A group with varying mental illnesses attempt to support each other despite their own struggles. “