Mendota Heights Resident Helps Shine a Light on Mental Health Disorders

For Kaela Bader, looking at mental health disorders in a different light sparks a better understanding of the challenges facing people who have them.

In the case of this freshman at Henry Sibley High School, that light is a spotlight.

And that's what the creators of "More Fidgety Fairytales," the play that Bader takes the stage for, hope their work accomplishes for the audience when it's shown at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Woodbury on Sunday.

The free play, which runs from 2-3 p.m., Feb. 13, incorporates themes from many well-known fairytales, but with a bit of a twist.

The tales feature storybook characters who display symptoms of a mental health disorder such as autism, post-traumatic stress and depression, as well as challenging behaviors.

The play's co-creator, Matt Jenson, said his aim was to produce a theatrical work that allows the audience to learn about mental health disorders and accept people for their differences. 

"We thought that might be a good way to talk about mental health," he said. "We start with stories people are already familiar with and make a change. That way, they can relax and focus on the emotions that are happening and the information they're learning."

This is the second presentation of "Fidgety Fairytales," Jenson said. The first was performed in 2008.

Jenson has been working for the last six years with people who have mental health disorders as the director of arts programming at the Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health. He also has an extensive background in theater. Jenson is a teaching artist at Children's Theater Company and is a faculty member at the University of Minnesota Department of Theater Arts and Dance.

He partners with Marya Hart to put on the production. Hart is a pianist, composer and music director.

In addition to helping people with mental health disorders in his career, Jenson said he also has a family member with bipolar disorder, so this play is even more personal for him.

Dee Lindblom, of the Faith-Based Mental Health and Wellness Network, said she saw Jenson's first production of "Fidgety Fairytales," and thought it would be a great event for Trinity to host.

"We want to bring (mental health disorders) out into the open instead of keeping them hidden," she said. "Sometimes people pretend they don't see people with disorders, or they don't understand them."

Teaching about disorders

"It's really upbeat, and it appeals to all ages—adults, high school students, and kids," she Bader. "Little kids will sit through it and be amazed."

Bader, who will play "Gretel" in the production, said she and the other actors in the play, some of whom have mental health disorders, attended numerous workshops to learn about the disorders that will be presented. She said at intervals throughout the stories, actors will step out of character for a moment and explain the symptoms of the disorder they are portraying.

Bader, like Jenson, also has family members with mental health disorders. Her brother and one of her cousins each have a disorder. 

Even with her experience with family members who have mental health disorders, Bader said rehearsing for the play has opened her eyes in terms of learning about a range of disabilities.

"I'm more understanding of people after playing someone with a mental health disorder," she said. "I feel like I can be more empathetic to how they're feeling."

For Jenson, the ultimate goal of the production is to show people with mental health disorders in a positive light.

"Our one goal is to portray kids with mental health disorders in a positive way," he said. "Sometimes, on the news or TV shows, people with mental health disorders are the ones getting in trouble. Instead, this is a chance for people to see them as heroes in stories."