Jessie's Messy Mind, a one woman show written by Jessie, will be performed Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. The show is 90 minutes long and there will be a talk back after the show.
It will be performed at Chattanooga State Humanities Theatre. Tickets are $10 at the door, advance reservations not needed. Admission is free for ChattState faculty, students and staff.
Review for Jessie's Messy Mind:
Jessie is Jessie Knowles - a writer, actor, singer/songwriter, director - who has appeared in the Chattanooga State Repertory Theatre productions of Hedda Gabler (Hedda), Three Sisters (Masha), That Other Woman's Child (Aurora), Rosemary Leaves (Dr. Halverson), and Luck of the Draw: The Improvised Musical. She directed Caroline, or Change for Ripple Productions. She earned her M.F.A. from Goddard University and was in the first graduating class of the Professional Actor Training Program at Chattanooga State.
When asked about the show, Jessie explained, "I try to get to the heart of what it’s like living with these conditions every day. I give the audience a look at the world through the lens of a manic episode. To tell the story, I use original acoustic music and the different characters and voices that I consider to be various aspects of my inner experience."
"My intention is to tell my personal story of living with bipolar and schizophrenia so that my audience can get an insider’s perspective into this fascinating and compelling condition," said Jessie. "We have stories like A Beautiful Mind and Rain Man but those are told from the outside looking in. I want people to feel like they are on the inside looking out. My main goal with this is to lift the veil of secrecy and stigma that surrounds mental differences and hopefully begin to encourage people to feel free to discuss it openly and honestly. I want the outsiders looking in on this story to shed the ingrained feelings of pity, fear and judgment and begin to allow themselves to feel curiosity, fascination, admiration and respect."