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MISSOULA – During a recent school board meeting in Great Falls, a group of high school students got up to present a series of personal testimonials about mental and behavioral health in their city.   

The students had written the statements – called “care commitments” – earlier that day at a workshop conducted by members of the �����ؿ�’s “State of Mind” theater and public dialogue tour. As they read the commitments aloud, the students’ powerful words moved some school board members to tears, prompting organizers to temporarily suspend the meeting.    

Clearly, the message resonated.   

“That was an impact we didn’t expect,” said Michael Rohd, “State of Mind” creator and director of the Co-Lab for Civic Imagination at UM. “It stopped the meeting for a moment, because board members were crying as these students read their statements. The results of our workshop had become a form of testimony in that space.”  

Sparking these sometimes difficult but necessary public conversations is the ultimate mission of “State of Mind.” The statewide initiative, which began touring �����ؿ� last fall, uses a blend of theater performance, workshops and community engagement to normalize discussions about behavioral and mental health issues.  

So far the show has made stops in Missoula, Conrad, Great Falls and Glasgow, with 2025 visits scheduled for Billings, Butte, Helena, Thompson Falls, Big Sky and Ekalaka, among others.  

In each town, “State of Mind” hosts workshops for local high school students, teachers, public health officials, health workers and community stakeholders. Those workshops function as guided conversation and listening sessions aimed at furthering communication between young people and adults, increasing visibility of existing health resources and promoting the open exchange of ideas.    

During the workshops, participants create materials like the students in Great Falls shared at their school board meeting. Later that evening, “State of Mind” presents a live performance that draws on the ideas and information produced that day. 

“We bring people together,” Rohd said, “and we try to destigmatize talking about and seeking help for mental health issues.” 

According to statistics cited on the “State of Mind” website, �����ؿ� has ranked in the top five in the nation for suicide for the last three decades, 35% of all �����ؿ�ns report experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety, and 8% of �����ؿ�ns are uninsured, which can make access to mental health resources difficult. A recent study conducted by the �����ؿ� Office of Public Instruction also showed that more than 40% of �����ؿ� students report occasionally feeling hopeless or chronically sad. 

“�����ؿ� faces a mental health crisis, and we know theater is not going to fix that,” said actor Kendra Mylnechuk Potter at the beginning of a “State of Mind” performance. “But we do believe that talking about mental health is a step toward better mental health for all of us.”  

The traveling program is funded partially by the generous support of the and the .    

The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation is a private, Atlanta-based organization that provides much-needed philanthropic support to a diverse array of causes, including Atlanta’s Westside, democracy, the environment, mental health and well-being, and youth development.   

The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation supports a number of programs and initiatives across UM's campus and at Missoula College. In addition to “State of Mind,” those projects include , the and the .    

Headwaters Foundation is a private foundation based in Missoula that funds organizations that build leadership and a sense of belonging with families in western �����ؿ�, elevate their voices to policymakers and create the conditions for meaningful change to happen.    

Headwaters supports multiple projects and initiatives on campus, including The UM Center for Children, Families and Workforce Development and the American Indian Governance and Policy Institute.   

“I am so grateful to the forward-thinking folks at the Arthur M. Blank Foundation and Headwaters, who recognize the importance of public discussions around these issues,” Rohd said. “The stigma around behavioral health often involves a culture of silence. To change that culture of silence into a culture of dialogue, you have to change culture – and to change culture, you need culture work.”   

Rohd coordinates “State of Mind” with Josh Aaseng, the program’s producer for community partnerships. The touring group includes a rotating cast of three actors, a counselor and social worker, as well as education specialists who run the workshops. 

The stage production itself is a combination of scripted performance and audience participation. The show is split into 14 parts – more like tracks on an album than acts in a play, Rohd said. Also, like listening to an album, the audience gets to pick the order of the tracks, so the actors never know what’s coming next. 

The day after the show, “State of Mind” hosts a community gathering that is open to the public. The result is 36 hours of engaging events that are both exciting and effective at prompting open dialogue around mental and behavioral health.     

“The audience gets to hear what young people in their community said that day,” Rohd said, “and they get to hear what adults in their community said in response.”  

“State of Mind” is the product of the Co-Lab for Civic Imagination, an on-campus program that operates under the umbrella of the Office of the Provost and the Office of Research and Creative Scholarship. The Co-Lab was founded in 2022 by Rohd, who also has faculty appointments in the College of the Arts and Media and the School of Public and Community Health Sciences.   

The Co-Lab’s mission is to increase awareness of the contributions the arts can make to issues like public health, education, local government and housing.   

“I focus on producing work that builds connection and trust,” Rohd said. “I think about how artists can get people in rooms together to create and talk with each other. It’s about building bridges, which is something that we need now more than ever.”  

Rohd said “State of Mind” has been well received in �����ؿ�, and its concept of mixing performance with guided discussion is gaining interest across the country. Rohd is now seeking funding to allow him to keep the show on the road throughout 2025, as well as broaden the scope of the program’s offerings.  

To learn more about “State of Mind,” contact Michael Rohd at the Co-Lab for Civic Imagination at 406-201-6128 or michael.rohd@umt.edu. To consider how your charitable support can make a difference for this statewide initiative, contact Kia Liszak at the �����ؿ� Foundation at 406-243-7466 or kia.liszak@supportum.org.  

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Contact: Elizabeth Willy, senior director of marketing and communications, UM Foundation, 406-243-7455, elizabeth.willy@supportum.org.