Erasing the Distance Presents STRONGER THAN SILENCE 4/28

Erasing the Distance (ETD) proudly presents STRONGER THAN SILENCE: surviving our secrets. In this one-night-only theatrical event, four professional actors give voice to true stories of survivors of sexual violence, sharing perspectives on hope, healing, and forgiveness.

April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and the sad reality is that, according to the National Center for Assault Prevention, 1 in 3-4 girls, and 1 in 6 boys are sexually assaulted before the age of 18. Nearly 40% of rape victims never tell anyone about the assault.

"I cannot tell you how many people I have met in my life who have been impacted by these issues - the numbers are astounding. From my perspective, sexual violence is an epidemic. Men, women, youth, and people of all ethnic, racial, and economic backgrounds have their innocence shattered and then must use every fiber of their being to recover and heal. This is not just a personal issue. It is a community issue and we must face it," says ETD Executive Artistic Director Brighid O'Shaughnessy.

STRONGER THAN SILENCE: surviving our secrets

Cast: Gabi Mayorga, Jennifer Mathews, Craig C. Thompson, and CedRic Young
Directed by: Brighid O'Shaughnessy, ETD Executive Artistic Director

Thursday, April 28, 2011
6:30 p.m. Refreshments
7:00 p.m. Performance

Center on Halsted, Hoover-Leppen Theater, 3656 N. Halsted, 3rd Floor

Tickets are FREE, although a $10 donation is suggested at the door.
Reservations are recommended. Erasing the Distance performances do sell out.
RSVP at BrownPaperTickets.com.

CedRic Young has worked at most of Chicago's theatres, many regional houses, and on Broadway. Most recently he played Elroy in Goodman Theatre's production of Mary. Some other roles include Will in Bus Stop at American Theater Company; Living Green and Affluenza! at Victory Gardens; Race at Lookingglass; Mastor Harold and the Boys, A Clockwork Orange, and The Song of Jacon Zulu at Steppenwolf; and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at the Court Theatre. Cedric has also appeared in many films and television series, including Backdraft, Home Alone 2, "ER," "Early Edition" and "The Chicago Code."

GABI MAYORGA is originally from Jalisco, Mexico and is a recent graduate from The Theatre School at DePaul University. She most recently was seen in Sonnets for an old Century with Urban theatre. In Albuquerque she studied with professionals such as KJ Sanchez and Moises Kaufman. Other credits include Esperanza Rising directed by Henry Godinez and the Aguijón theatre production Antígona. She also traveled to Bogotá Colombia with Las Soldaderas, which was part of Mujeres en Escena por la Paz.

JENNIFER MATHEWS is a proud member of Erasing the Distance's artistic ensemble and just recently stepped into the role of ETD's Marketing & Communications Director. She is a company member with Infamous Commonwealth Theatre, where she has appeared in several productions. She was most recently seen onstage in Sideshow Theatre's Heddatron at the Steppenwolf Garage.

CRAIG C. Thompson is honored to be a part of Erasing the DistancE. Craig is a member of Infamous Commonwealth Theatre and has been seen in their 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 Lifeline Theatre, Backstage Theatre, Foreground Theatre, Emerald City Theatre and Real Rain Productions.

BRIGHID O'SHAUGHNESSY is the director of STRONGER THAN SILENCE: surviving our secrets and Founder and Executive Artistic Director of Erasing the Distance. She was recently granted DePaul University's prestigious David O. Justice Award for her use of theatre to educate communities about mental health in non-traditional and creative ways. Erasing the Distance received a 3Arts Vision Award in 2010 to support her work of shedding light on mental illness.

ERASING THE DISTANCE is a not-for-profit organization that sheds light on mental illness through theatre. Founded in 2005, Erasing the Distance performs public performances as well as tours to schools, faith groups, and community organizations. So far, Erasing the Distance shows have reached over 25,000 audience members. Recent productions include FALLING PETALS, a custom show about mental illness and disability from Asian American perspectives, and WILL YOU STAND UP?, a three-part violence prevention series presented in collaboration with Affinity Community Services.

Erasing the Distance is honored to present STRONGER THAN SILENCE: surviving our secrets as part of the company's mission to generate awareness, disarm stigma, and spark dialogue by creating professional theatrical productions based on real people's experiences with mental illness and mental health challenges. All Erasing the Distance actors are professionals who can be seen on Chicago stages from storefronts to Steppenwolf and Broadway in Chicago. They are brought together by a passion for the company's work of disarming stigma and sparking dialogue to ignite the healing process. For more information on Erasing the Distance, please visit www.erasingthedistance.org.

STRONGER THAN SILENCE: surviving our secrets is brought to you by:
Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4) Quetzal Center
C4 was founded in 1972 to help people released from psychiatric hospitals into the Uptown and Edgewater communities. Since that time, C4's service area has expanded to rekindle hope for individuals and families on Chicago's North Side and beyond. A leading provider of clinical services, C4 is recognized as a compassionate and innovative community mental health agency, keenly sensitive to the diverse racial and ethnic populations it serves. The Quetzal Center of C4 acts as a lifeline to survivors who have experienced rape, childhood incest and other forms of sexual violence.
www.c4chicago.org/services/sexual-assault

Don't miss this moving event! Join us on April 28th for STRONGER THAN SILENCE: surviving our secrets. www.ErasingTheDistance.org.