The University of Montana’s Co-Lab for Civic Imagination brings it's exciting theatre program State of Mind to Livingston, February 26th and 27th. State of Mind is a unique and engaging theatre and public dialogue event that is touring to over twenty (primarily rural) Montana communities from September 2024 to May 2026.

The project consists of a free theatre performance for the general public, and workshops for local students, school faculty & staff, and local health providers. The performance will take place on February 26th at The Park County Fairgrounds in the dining hall, with workshops taking place at Park High School earlier that day. The workshops will inspire a portion of the performance, ensuring that Livingston’s residents’ voices and ideas are a part of the performance, thereby providing a unique experience for each community that State of Mind visits.

State of Mind has been developed over two years by a group of professional Montana artists, facilitators, and mental & behavioral health professionals in response to the troubling trends in Montana’s behavioral and mental health outcomes. In Montana 35% of adults report symptoms of anxiety or depression, and Montana ranks in the top five states for highest rates of suicide across all age groups. With so many Montanans living in rural areas, it can be challenging to connect with professionals like psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, or addiction counselors in times of crisis or just for regular counseling support.

Health providers and policy experts believe that in addition to having more professionals around the state, we also need to change how we talk about mental health with one another—neighbor to neighbor, Montanan to Montanan. If someone has an accident on the ranch or the job site, we know how to get them the medical help they need, but if someone’s struggling with addiction or other mental health crisis, sometimes it’s less clear how to help. And that’s where State of Mind comes in.

State of Mind director Michael Rohd says, “The arts are a powerful way to not just share stories, but to gather and imagine the futures we want to see and build together. State of Mind’s goals include tackling stigmas around seeking help, making local resources more visible and contributing to local capacity for community care. We aim to bring diverse Montana voices into health policy & resource conversations across our state, and to make opportunities for those with local knowledge to lead the way as Montana continues to battle our behavioral health crisis.”

State of Mind tours at no cost to the communities they visit. The Livingston event is being organized by a dynamic coalition which includes LiveWell 49, the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch, L’esprit Health, Park County Community Foundation, SW Montana Prevention, and the Park County Drop In Center.

Laurie Bishop, LiveWell49’s lead facilitator states, “Normalizing talk about mental health with compassion for ourselves and others is a top priority for LiveWell49. We love the creative way that State of Mind engages the community in this discussion, and are most excited for Park High students to speak to their needs in their own voice.”

After the Livingston engagement, State of Mind will be heading to Helena, Anaconda, Butte, Thompson Falls, among others. See the full tour calendar here: https://www.umcivicimagination.com/tour-calendar

For more information about State of Mind and the people involved, visit: https://www.umcivicimagination.com/ or follow them on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556751081311

Contact:

For more information about State of Mind’s local community partners, please visit their websites:

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