Misericordia University’s ‘The Voices Project: Mental Health’ project headed to Broadway Misericordia University’s ‘The Voices Project: Mental Health’ project headed to Broadway

DALLAS TWP. — The theatrical staging of “The Voices Project: Mental Health,” a Misericordia University psychology research project, has been accepted into the Broadway Bound Theater Festival in Manhattan, New York.

The program were presented at readings at Aug. 15 and 16 at the 14th Street Y, 344 E. 14th St., New York City.

The theatrical presentation was edited by Alicia Nordstrom, professor of psychology and director of the Center for Faculty Professional Development, and directed by Peter Jensen with a cast of professional actors from New York.

The production is designed to promote understanding and reduce the stigma of mental illness. It is among 20 plays being performed at BBTF this year, and the only one selected for BBFT Plays with Purpose outreach program, which presents new theatrical works about important and controversial social issues.

“The Voices Project: Mental Health” is the fourth chapter in an on-ongoing psychology project that explores society’s attitudes towards individuals considered different.

In the fall of 2016, Nordstrom had a class of psychology students interview more than 60 people with a variety of mental health conditions and their family members to learn about their lives.

Students wrote a first-person narrative about the person they interviewed to share how the mental health conditions have affected their lives.

Nordstrom worked with Amanda Caleb, associate professor of English, who engaged English students to help integrate the narratives into a staged reading. The presentation debuted on the Misericordia campus in April.