Writer and Director, Jeff Locker

I was recently talking to a friend about this show, and as I shared the idea behind the evening and the themes of the pieces, I kept finding myself adding asterisks. “But it’s funny!” “It’s still entertaining!” “No, I think you’ll really enjoy it!”

Because talking about mental health is… heavy, right? And sad?

Well, it can be. But it can also be hilarious. And beautiful. And relieving. And even joy-inducing. Because what is mental health but emotional well-being? Or in other words, humans human-ing, quite imperfectly, and often needing a little help along the way because human-ing is hard. And whether we’re talking about love or loss, loud victories or quiet battles, or the sheer amount of energy it takes some days just to get out of bed and face the world, there is nothing like the comfort we find when we realize we’re not alone.

I started writing (shout-out to my first therapist who told me I was a writer before I even knew I was) because it allows me to explore the human experience - and sometimes related struggles - through the eyes of characters who are like people we all know. And sometimes people I’d like to meet someday. 

I continued writing because it brought me joy - mainly via all the wonderful humans IRL who saw a bit of my heart in these stories and invited me into their lives, which has been such an unexpected and precious gift.

On that note, I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who helped make this night happen: the lovely folks at Rose City Center who got behind this idea from day one and do such incredible work on a daily basis, everyone at The Colony Theatre for providing such a wonderful and warm space, these incredible artists who donated their time and are putting so much heart into these stories that have come to mean so much to me, my dear friend Gia Carides for directing Us Two, each of you who bought a ticket and otherwise supported this benefit and Rose City Center, and especially our amazing producer Nick Hardcastle for going above and beyond to make this a stellar evening.

And last but not least, a world of thanks to Rose City Center Board President Ron Sequeira not only for his passion, persistence, and resolve in the cause, but above all for his friendship and his extraordinary heart.

I am so deeply grateful.

Jeff Locker