OCD: REAL VOICES – REAL PEOPLE Plays Ann Sather Restaurant 10/11

Erasing the Distance (ETD) has partnered with OCD Chicago for OCD: REAL VOICES - REAL PEOPLE, for a one-night-only event presented during National OCD Awareness Week on Tuesday, Oct. 11 from 7:00pm-10:00pm.

Enjoy a warm evening of friendship, connection and awareness. OCD: REAL VOICES - REAL PEOPLE begins with three true stories that explore different aspects of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and are performed by ETD artistic company members. A break follows, during which refreshments will be served. The evening then resumes with three speakers who share their own experiences living with OCD.

ETD Executive Artistic Director Brighid O'Shaughnessy explains, "After having been long-time fans of one another, it is truly exciting to be partnering with OCD Chicago on this event. This is the first time Erasing the Distance is doing an entire night of stories dedicated to helping us all better understand the OCD experience. Each of the stories presented are truly unique and shed light on how each individual finds solace, support, and recovery - some through humor, others through therapy and all through acceptance."

Ellen Sawyer, Executive Director of OCD Chicago, adds, "We are proud to present real life stories of individuals who have triumphed over OCD, and are especially glad to share them with people who understand the specific challenge of having OCD. Speaking out in this way is a wonderful opportunity to reduce the stigma that surrounds OCD and enlighten people who suffer from the disorder."

OCD: REAL VOICES - REAL PEOPLE
Tuesday, Oct. 11
7:00pm -10:00pm

Ann Sather Restaurant
909 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago
(Free parking is available in the lot west of Ann Sather.)

Featuring:
David Hornreich, Maura Kidwell and Craig C. Thompson (actors)
Anne, Brian and Dan (speakers)

$10 per person, $5 for students.
To register, visit this link: http://tiny.cc/yw89y.

Call 773-880-1635 or email Info@ocdchicago.org with any questions.

ACTORS:
David Hornreich has been a part of the Chicago theater community for nearly five years. A native of Seattle, he graduated from Western Washington University in 2004 with a B.A. in acting and directing. In addition to "Grown Up" theater, David has been fortunate enough to work both teaching and acting in Children's Theater and educational programs with a long list of companies - including Northlight Theater Academy, GreatWorks Productions, and more.

Maura Kidwell is a graduate of Beloit College and an ensemble member of Redtwist Theatre (formerly Actors Workshop), where she appeared in their Jeff-Nominated production of Equus (Jill) and Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Mme. de Tourvel). Maura is also an artistic associate of Ouroboros Theatre Company, where she performed in the world premiere of Cyrano: Translated (Doris Cooper). Other credits include Ten Cent Night with Chicago Dramatists Theatre (Dee), Amadeus with St. Louis Shakespeare (Constanze), and Mister Paradise with Dream Engine/Indefinite Theatre (Girl). Maura can also be seen and heard in many commercials, industrial films and feature films.

Originally from Kansas City, MO, Craig C. Thompson graduated from Boston University in 1998 and has been living and performing in Chicago ever sincE. Craig is a former member of Infamous Commonwealth Theatre and has been seen in their previous productions of The Crucible, Lewis and Clark Reach the Euphrates, My Thing of Love, The Kentucky Cycle (Jeff Citation for Outstanding Ensemble and Outstanding Production), Savage in Limbo, and Big Dreams. Craig has also acted for Backstage Theatre in Waiting for Lefty (Jeff Nomination for Outstanding Ensemble), Foreground Theatre, Lifeline Theatre, Emerald City Theatre and Real Rain Productions.

SPEAKERS:
Anne was first diagnosed with OCD more than 20 years ago and went through an intensive treatment program at the Chicago Medical School. She served three terms as a board member of OCD Chicago and as consulting editor on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Demystified: An Essential Guide for Understanding and Living with OCD, by Cheryl Carmin (Da Capo Press). She speaks frequently on the topic of OCD to professional groups and with the media. Anne is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism; she started her own business as a writer and communication consultant in 1995.

Brian has suffered with OCD since he was in college in 1979. Therapies that were conventional at the time proved remarkably unsuccessful until he was correctly diagnosed with OCD in early 1993. He underwent intensive exposure and response prevention therapy that summer, learning to manage his illness using a combination of cognitive behavioral techniques and support group therapies. In 1995, Brian started his own support group on the North Shore, and was a charter board member of OCD Chicago. He continues to serve in an advisory capacity to sufferers. Brian is President of R.F. Mau Co., a Lincolnwood-based manufacturing firm. He lives in Glenview with his wife and two daughters.

Dan was diagnosed with OCD at age eight. He received treatment in the form of exposure and response prevention therapy. He has volunteered for OCD Chicago - he played the saxophone at a fundraiser and helped edit one of the guides. Dan recorded "The Big Whack-A-Mole Game In My Head" for Chicago Public Radio, about his experience with OCD. The program won the National Mental Health Association's 2005 Mental Health Media Award for "Best First-Person Account." Dan is currently a college student, studying computer science. He enjoys fencing, cooking, and reading mystery novels.

ERASING THE DISTANCE:
Erasing the Distance is a non-profit arts organization that uses the power of performance to disarm stigma, spark dialogue, educate, and promote healing surrounding issues of mental health.

ETD collects true stories from people whose lives have been impacted by mental health issues. We sculpt the stories into theatrical pieces for the stage, which our ensemble of actors then performs for schools, corporations, community organizations, and the general public. Founded in 2005, ETD's shows have reached over 26,000 people throughout Illinois and beyond.

Recent ETD productions include Finding Peace in This House, a custom collaboration with The Chicago School of Psychology that is being remounted in January 2012; Stronger Than Silence: surviving our secrets, a show about sexual assault presented in collaboration with C4 Quetzal Center; and Falling Petals, a show about mental illness from Asian American perspectives that is being performed again at Governors State University in February 2012. For more information, please visit www.ErasingTheDistance.org.

OCD CHICAGO:
OCD Chicago, the leading provider of consumer resources to help sufferers cope with and conquer Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), works to increase public and professional awareness of OCD, educate and support people with OCD and their families, and to encourage research into new treatments and a cure.

OCD Chicago is a small organization with a big heart. A resource for individuals, families, mental health professionals, educators, clergy and the media across the country, we are dedicated to improving the lives of people who suffer with OCD. Founded in 1994, OCD Chicago is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information, please visit www.ocdchicago.org.