En Garde Arts' Wildernes is The New York Times Critics' Pick!
Charles Isherwood: "A fierce, sad gale blows through “Wilderness,” a terrific, moving new multimedia theater piece about troubled youth being presented by En Garde Arts in association with the Abrons Arts Center.”
Six kids stand at the brink of emotional chaos. A mother risks losing her child forever. Thoughts racing, emotions firing, one question plunges forward: how do we persevere when we feel most alone in the world?
In this captivating documentary theatre piece, En Garde Arts employs their signature brand of multi-media storytelling to illuminate the real experiences of young adults who struggle to find meaning in their lives, and parents who refuse to give up hope for their kids. Developed over two years through firsthand interviews and extensive field research, Wilderness features a driving folk score and sweeping video landscapes. The penetrating, no holds barred docu-drama transports us from our familiar domestic confines to the brutal and enlightening solitude of the high desert, where we have no choice but to confront our demons—and hopefully develop the courage to change.
Dialogues & Engagement:
WILDERNESS is a pulsating new
documentary theatre event and
education and outreach initiative that speaks to our collective search for
connection and hope, as families survive the extraordinary pressures of the 21st century. It explores the challenges of coming of age in an increasingly fragmented society and presents multiple perspectives of
trauma and recovery, anchored by
real life narratives that elucidate issues of
mental health, addiction, and
gender and sexual identity.
Please join us after the performances for a series of talkbacks and panel discussions led by some of the leading minds in
mental and behavioral health and
youth development.
Friday, October 21st
Jess Shatkin, Vice Chair for Education
The Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies (CAMS)
NYU College of Arts and Science
Monday, October 24th
Robert Cunningham, MSeD,
Head of School, Robert Louis Stevenson School
Independent School Evening
John MacPhee, MPH Chief Executive Officer, The Jed Foundation
Thursday, October 27th
Brad Reedy, Co-Owner and Clinical Director, Evoke Therapy Programs and the families and therapists portrayed in the show.
Thursday, November 3rd
Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, Founding President, Child Mind Institute
Friday, November 4th
Kelly Lennon-Martucci, LCSW
Director of School Based Mental Health Clinics
Henry Street Settlement
Nicole Lee, LCSW
Program Coordinator for School Based Mental Health at Henry Street Settlement.
Wednesday, November 9th
PACE NIGHT: Cast members and Pace BFA Acting alumni Riley Suter, Holly DeMorro, Jake Williams and Taylor Noble will talk about their experiences working on WILDERNESS.
Sunday, November 13th
Andrew Solomon, National Book Award-winning author of Far from the Tree and Noonday Demon
Wednesday, November 16th
Dr. Brad Reedy, Owner, Clinical Director, will be joined by Executive Producer, Co-Author of WILDERNESS Anne Hamburger and Actress Welker White playing the role of MOM who both had children that went through wilderness. The discussion will revolve around what it's like to parent a child who is struggling and going through WILDERNESS.
Thursday, November 17th
Kellyn Smythe, Admissions & Outreach Manager, Pacific Quest
Stephanie Crossman, JD: Ed Consultant/attorney
Evan Flamenbaum, Educational Director of Academics West.
Anne Marie Albano, Professor of Medical Psychology in Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center
FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO EN GARDE ARTS PLEASE GO TO THEIR WEBSITE AT ENGARDEARTS.ORG