The Now Who’s Talking Recovery Theatre Presents: The Loonie Awards (Not Just Another Recovery Awards Show) (VANCOUVER) – What do a dog walker, a film maker, and a barista all have in common? They’re all people in recovery. They all have stories to tell. They’re all recipients of this year’s Loonie Awards. The Loonie awards are presented to people in recovery from mental illness and addiction, people who have the courage to show the inner working of the recovery process. Using a humorous awards show format the cast explores a variety of recovery experiences, like learning what it truly means to be handicapped, the challenge of dealing with negative people, and what it’s like to be obsessed with the colour yellow. By using personal experiences to explore the entire recovery process the show breaks down the stigma of mental illness. From the dizzying highs to the crushing lows, and then on to balance and stability, the cast brings to life their profound epiphanies, life changing experiences, and realizations. A recovery tour de force. The Loonie Awards takes a light look at a heavy subject. By using humour the cast gains a unique insight into the recovery experience. Audiences get to see what it’s like to have a full-blown psychotic episode, to live life under the table, struggle with an eating disorder or what can happen when you bottle things up. They also get to see what happens when you choose recovery, take responsibility for your life, and ultimately move forward to a meaningful, satisfying existence. We’ve all had bad days at work, family conflicts, needed to loose weight, gain weight, or quit drinking. If you think there’s no hope for people with mental illness to live satisfying, meaningful lives, think again. Now Who’s Talking Recovery Theatre is walking the talk of what it’s like to live with and recover from mental illness and addiction. The Now Who’s Talking Recovery Theatre program was founded by Elly Litvak with funding from Vancouver Coastal Health’s Consumer Initiative Fund. Elly’s experience in theatre and mental health give her a unique insight of the recovery process. Her one-woman show ‘Now Who’s Crazy Now?’ was the inspiration for the program. “Performing my one-woman show chronicling my journey of living with and recovering from a mental illness was the most empowering experience in my life. I needed to share the experience, the more stories we share the more we reduce the stigma of mental illness. People need to know that recovery is possible, people get better.” Now Who’s Talking Recovery Theatre is an innovative project where people in recovery from mental illness and addiction learn a variety of theatre disciplines including acting, voice, improvisation and playwriting. The ultimate result is a highly educational, entertaining and humorous play where performers portray aspects of their personal recovery journey. Audiences gain insights into what recovery from mental illness is really like for a variety of people and circumstances. Audience members on the recovery path are inspired with hope and concrete examples of ‘how’ people recovery. Performances March 21 1:00pm & 7:00pm Matinee FREE for people in recovery March 22 7:00pm St. James Community Square, 3214 W 10th (at Trutch) Tickets $12 Advance, $15 at the door CONTACT: ELLY LITVAK 604-688-1556, 604-838-1556 Cell www.whoscrazynow.comloonieawards
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