Why Is This Happening?
As I approach the end of my college career and prepare to graduate in May, I have begun to work on my senior capstone. This final project is meant to be an opportunity to showcase the knowledge and skills that I have acquired through my education as a performance studies major at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. 

Upon transferring to NYU in the fall of my junior year, I enrolled in the performance studies program with the goal to better understand how performance affects the communities in which we live and how performance arts can impact societies to promote change. Three years later, I feel that my education has given me the necessary tools to accomplish that goal and I believe that there is no better opportunity to show this than through my senior capstone. 

During my time in college, I found the prevalence of mental health issues to be inescapable. From hearing stories on the news, to watching friends suffer from mental illness and losing peers to suicide, it became clear that the issue of mental health was something that needed to be addressed. Despite the many news articles and shared facebook posts, I still felt as though something was missing and that the conversation was incomplete. It seemed as though everyone had something to say but nobody wanted to take the time to listen. This is what lead me to create Anecdoche. 

What is Anecdoche?
Anecdoche, defined as “a conversation in which everyone is talking but nobody is listening”, is an original, interactive theatrical journey that invites guests to attend an intimate and immersive gathering that explores the underside of the world of mental illness. Patrons will be taken on an artistically diverse journey that melds immersive theater, circus arts, music and dance to give a voice to a cause that is so often misunderstood. As audience members delve deeper into the world of Anecdoche, they will be exposed to an unseen side of the mental health narrative. The pieces that make up this production draw from the real experiences of those suffering from mental illness based on interviews conducted with numerous college students about their struggles with mental health conditions. By taking from authentic experiences and submerging the audience within those events, this production will emphasize the realness of this topic and give a voice to those who feel unheard. Anecdoche will expose a new perspective that looks deep into the world of mental illness and allows these stories and experiences to be shared in a way that is informative and artistic through this one night only event.

Why are we fundraising?
In order to bring this project to fruition, I am requesting your assistance! It is necessary for me to raise $3,000 during the month of April in order to make this production come to life and I would be grateful to have your support. 
These funds go towards hiring the staff and talent needed to produce a show of this magnitude. I am committed to investing in the artists that are performing in Anecdoche. This includes several dancers, two vocalists, two actors and four circus artists. Additionally, these funds support the crew that makes a production like this possible such as stage hands, a stage manager, lighting designer and sound designer.