Celebrating Men Saint John's 9th Annual Men's Lives Series2003-2004

Chris Kilmartin
August 24, 2003 8 p.m.
Stephen B. Humphrey Auditorium, SJU
Crimes Against Nature
   This program is an original solo piece written and performed by Chris Kilmartin. The product of a year-long collaboration between him and Gregg Stall, assistant professor and chair of the theatre department at Mary Washington College, Crimes Against Nature is a humorous, compelling, and very personal look at the pressures of masculinity
   Crimes Against Nature cleverly points out the absurdities and contradictions of masculinity. The piece promotes an awareness of the demands of masculinity and also provides a sense that one can choose whether or not to acquiesce to these demands. Never preachy, Kilmartin pokes fun at the experiences of his adolescence and young manhood.
   Chris Kilmartin is the author of The Masculine Self, 2nd Edition (2000) and co-author with John Lynch of The Pain Behind the Mask: The Origins, Consequences, and Remedies of Masculine Depression.
Kilmartin is an associate professor of psychology at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Va. He has been a professional stand-up comedian since 1985 having performed as opening act for Richard Lewis, Paula Poundstone, George Miller and Norm MacDonald. 
   Kilmartin and Stall's collaboration was supported by a Jepson Funds for Excellence Grant, a program hat supports collaborative interdisciplinary faculty projects. Director Stall's recent directing credits include Six Characters in Search of an Author, Cloud 9 and Inspecting Carol. He consults with arts organizations throughout the country on program planning and resource development.
 

David Hellstrom
September 16, 2003 8 p.m.
The Real Buzz: Men and Alcohol?
   No scare tactics, no hype, just an honest look at the issue of alcohol and the role in plays in our lives and the people we know. This workshop looks at information and attitudes, defines risk, and focuses on the big picture, which is the ability that we all have, as individuals, to get what we want out of our education, our relationships, and our life.
   Using humor, story-telling, and the passion that comes with talking about those things in life that are true, this program looks at a number of core issues such as personal responsibility in making choices, the "social norming" concept, which states that students are healthier than they might think, and relays some simple but powerful advice: trust yourself, take care of yourself, and take care 0fyour friends.
   David Hellstrom is the director of education and training for The BACCHUS and GAMMA Peer Education Network, and has spent the last decade as a spokesman for healthy choices regarding alcohol and other health education issues. Although best known for his expertise on alcohol issues, he has produced dozens of educational materials on issues ranging from sexual assault, to illicit drug abuse, to domestic violence and binge drinking. He is also a national advocate for the power of "Peer Theatre," and many of his programs include dramatic and comedy elements, delivering important messages to students in a non-confrontational manner.
 

Dr. Terrence Real
November 11, 2003 8 p.m.
Quad 264, SJU
I Don't Want to Talk About It: Men and Depression, Men in Relationships
   During this dynamic speech, Terry Real will introduce his groundbreaking work uncovering the "hidden epidemic" of male depression -- a largely unrecognized condition affecting millions of American men and their families. Why has depression been seen as a 'woman's disease?" Shame. Depression is not unwomanly, but many feel it as unmanly -- setting up what Real calls, "compound depression." Many men express depression differently than women. Real will speak of "covert depression" which lies at the core of many of men's typical "bad behaviors" -- like drinking, workaholism, withdrawal and anger,
   Terrence Real, best-selling author of I Don't Want to Talk about it: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression (Scribner 1997), is a senior faculty member of the Family Institute of Cambridge in Massachusetts and director of the gender relations program at the Meadows Institute in Arizona. He has been a practicing family therapist and teacher of couples and family therapy for over 20 years,
   Terry's work on men's issues and on couple's therapy has been featured in numerous medical publicati0nS as well as the following media outlets: Newspapers:  NYT, WSJ, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, USA Today Magazines: Reader's Digest, Redbook, Ladies Home Journal, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Men's Journal, Esquire, Psychology Today, Family Therapy Networker. Television: NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, The Today Show, Good Morning America, ABCNews 20/20, Weekend Today, Montel Williams, America's Health Network, and Oprah.