Download the Snap! Study Guide
Snap! a theatrical storytelling experience on mental health recovery
The one woman show, Snap!, written and performed by Regi Carpenter is the true story of a sixteen year old girl’s descent into mental illness, her commitment to a state mental hospital and her journey back to reality and freedom. The show is appropriate for teens and adults.
Carpenter’s short version of Snap! won her the 2012 Boston StorySlam for best of the year. Mental illness is, in many ways, a taboo topic. Personal admission of hospitalization is still covered in secrecy, rarely treated as directly and honestly as in “Snap!” Yet, Carpenter doesn’t think of herself as courageous to share her personal experience of recovery. “My challenge was how to bring this story to others in a way that allowed them to find their own story in mine,” she explains. “The response from family members of institutionalized or deceased children and from people with ongoing depression issues has been incredible.”
This theatrical storytelling experience was described by one audience member as “profoundly moving, heartfelt, courageous, and altogether inspiring.” The show uses music, gesture, and humor to put audiences into the experience as well as to facilitate a deeper understanding of mental health challenges. As she created the story, Carpenter learned that the past doesn’t control us. “What I can see in my experience now is a deeply troubled teen who could no longer cope and who received love, care, and hope in the darkest place.”
Audio CDs and Video DVDs will be available for purchase after the program.
