Mychal-Bella Bowen Will Join Post-Show Talkback At Off Broadway’s CRACKED OPEN

Hollywood’s Mychal-Bella Bowen (The Underground Railroad) will participate in a post-show talkback on June 17 following a performance of CRACKED OPEN, the deeply moving new play written and directed by multi-award-winning playwright Gail Kriegel, now running through June 28 at Theatre Row.

CRACKED OPEN is a timely and powerful exploration of family, struggle, and unconditional love. 

The June 17 event is part of an ongoing partnership with Artem Vale, a nonprofit organization committed to reshaping the national conversation around mental health. Since launching its weekly post-show talkback series on May 27, CRACKED OPEN and Artem Vale have hosted a number of meaningful discussions featuring artists, mental health professionals, and individuals with lived experience. These talkbacks follow every Tuesday 7:00 PM performance and offer audiences a safe and inclusive space to reflect, connect, and engage with the play’s urgent themes.

Artem Vale is a mission-driven organization working to break down the barriers surrounding mental health across generations and communities. Rooted in compassion and action, Artem Vale supports individuals of all ages and backgrounds by providing access to life-changing tools, therapeutic options, and community-based resources.  Believing that “one size does not fit all,” the organization empowers sectors from education to healthcare with customized mental wellness toolkits, fostering open dialogue and dismantling stigma. At Artem Vale, asking for help is seen as strength, and every person is encouraged to live with purpose, truth, and resilience—becoming the brightest version of themselves.

Mychal-Bella Bowen is an award-winning actress, model, and humanitarian best known for her breakout role in Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad, a performance IndieWire called “Honorary Emmy-worthy.” Her screen credits include Amazon’s Dead Ringers, Tyler Perry’s The Haves and the Have Nots, and HBO’s Togetherness. A supermodel with more than 18,000 national commercial airings and campaigns for brands like GAP, Disney, Nike, and Barbie, she’s also been featured in Forbes and on the ESPYS stage as the youngest-ever Hollywood Humanitarian. Mychal-Bella is a passionate advocate for mental health, gender equality, and youth empowerment, using her platform to inspire action and change.

CRACKED OPEN is presented in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month and beyond, providing an important platform for discussion and healing through the power of storytelling.

Each May, Mental Health Awareness Month provides an opportunity to amplify conversations around mental health, encourage understanding, and break the stigma that prevents so many from seeking help. At its core, CRACKED OPEN is a powerful, timely story about a family whose love is tested when their 17-year-old daughter experiences the sudden onset of mental illness. As they struggle to understand her new reality, they must navigate the complexities of treatment, social stigma, and their own fears—ultimately discovering the resilience that binds them together. With a cast of 11 actors portraying 32 characters, CRACKED OPEN is a story of love, struggle, and the power of family.

Cast includes: Pamela Bob (Broadway: A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder), Joyia D. Bradley (Off-Broadway: Mirrors), Rubén Caballero, Paul Castree (Broadway: Water For Elephants), Blaire DiMisa (Regional: Anastasia), Scott Harrison (NY: David: A New Musical), Madeline Grace Jones (Regional: The Color Purple), Lisa Pelikan (Broadway: Spring’s Awakening), Katherine Reis (HBO Max’s “Gossip Girl”), Bart Shatto (Broadway: War Paint, Les Misérables), and Jeene Vath (LaMama: Medea of The Laundromat).