In this episode, Regi Carpenter joins Sam Payne to talk a little about her solo show, Snap! which she recently performed at Brigham Young University in accordance with Mental Health Awareness Month.

photo © Regi Carpenter

Regi Carpenter is a solo performance artist, author, and performance coach. An award winning performer, Regi has toured her solo shows and workshops in theaters, festivals and schools, nationally and internationally. Her writings and blogs about storytelling, ancestry and identity have been published in various print and online publications. Regi holds a BFA from Ithaca College where she currently teaches storytelling.

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.”

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.” Regi recently visited Provo, Utah to conduct a series of workshops and performances. During her visit, Regi performed Snap! at Brigham Young University and we were delighted to have her join us in the studio for a conversation with Sam Payne. Included in this episode is that conversation, a snippet from Snap! entitled "A Night to Remember," and the story "thank you, Mrs. Minnick! or How Librarians Are Making the World a Safer Place." 

To learn more about Regi and find more of her work, visit her website: soaringstories.com