Statewide Theatre and Public Dialogue Tour Visits Butte with Support from Intermountain Health

The University of Montana's Co-Lab for Civic Imagination brings its exciting theatre program State of Mind to Butte, March 10th and 11th. State of Mind is a unique and engaging theatre and public dialogue event that is touring to over 20 (primarily rural) Montana communities from September 2024 to May 2026.

The project consists of a free theatre performance for the general public, and workshops for local students, school faculty & staff, and local health providers. The performance will take place on March 10th, 7 PM at The Thornton Ballroom, with a joint workshop of students and staff from Butte High and Butte Central taking place earlier that day. The workshops will inspire a portion of the performance, ensuring that Butte's residents' voices and ideas are a part of the performance, thereby providing a unique experience for each community that State of Mind visits. The residency closes out with a community coffee meeting on the morning of March 11th at St. James Hospital's conference room.

State of Mind has been developed over two years by a group of professional Montana artists, facilitators, and mental & behavioral health professionals in response to the troubling trends in Montana's behavioral and mental health outcomes. 35% of adult Montanans report symptoms of anxiety or depression, and Montana ranks in the top five states for highest rates of suicide across all age groups. With so many Montanans living in rural areas, it can be challenging to connect with professionals like psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, or addiction counselors in times of crisis or just for regular counseling support.

Health providers and policy experts believe that in addition to having more professionals around the state, we also need to change how we talk about mental health with one another - neighbor to neighbor, Montanan to Montanan. If someone has an accident on the ranch or the job site, we know how to get them the medical help they need, but if someone's struggling with addiction or other mental health crisis, sometimes it's less clear how to help. And that's where State of Mind comes in.

State of Mind director Michael Rohd says, "The arts are a powerful way to not just share stories, but to gather and imagine the futures we want to see and build together. State of Mind's goals include tackling stigmas around seeking help, making local resources more visible and contributing to local capacity for community care. We aim to bring diverse Montana voices into health policy & resource conversations across our state, and to make opportunities for those with local knowledge to lead the way as Montana continues to battle our behavioral health crisis."

State of Mind tours at no cost to the communities they visit. The Butte event is being organized by Intermountain Health/St. James Hospital and Ability Montana.

Andrew Vipperman of Ability Montana describes the event as, "A lighthearted and unique performance aimed at addressing serious, complex issues. We urge everyone to go and take part and hear what your neighbors have to say regarding their own mental health issues. This group is removing stigmas and starting conversations, what more could you ask for?"

After the Butte engagement, State of Mind will be heading to Thompson Falls, Baker, Ekalaka, and Malta, among others. See the full tour calendar here: https://www.umcivicimagination.com/tour-calendar.

For more information about State of Mind and the people involved, visit: https://www.umcivicimagination.com/ or follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556751081311.

For more information about State of Mind's local Butte partners, visit: Ability Montana: https://abilitymt.org. Intermountain Health: https://intermountainhealthcare.org/locations/intermountain-health-st-james-hospital

CONTACT State of Mind: Josh Aaseng, Producer of Community Partnerships - josh.aaseng@umt.edu and Michael Rohd, Director - michael.rohd@umt.edu.