UnRavelled Outreach Festival Brings Art, Science, and Hope to Beverly Hills
For Immediate Release
PRESS CONTACT: Libby Huebner, 562.208.7993, libby@adlibpr.com
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UnRavelled Outreach,
“Festival” of Brain Health to Raise Awareness of Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD),
To Run Concurrently with World Premiere of UnRavelled,
Play about the Astounding True Story of
Canadian Painter/Biologist Dr. Anne Adams and French Composer Maurice Ravel,
Inexorably Linked by (FTD) 100 Years Apart
Festival Includes
First Major Art Exhibition of Dr. Adams’ Paintings,
Debut of Groundbreaking LA-Specific FTD Caregiver Guide,
Array of Pre- and Post-Performance Displays, Experiential Exhibits and Talk Backs,
Art Therapy Workshops, and Medical Presentations about FTD and Dementia
Friday, October 17, 2025, 7:30 pm
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 7:30 pm
Sunday, October 19, 2025, 2:00 pm
at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills
(Los Angeles, CA – August 19, 2025) UnRavelled, an award-winning play offering a unique perspective on the extraordinary power of the human mind in the face of neurological disease by noted playwright Jake Broder (Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara, Our American Hamlet), receives its highly anticipated world premiere – surrounded by UnRavelled Outreach, a fascinating and enlightening brain health festival offering a deeper dive into the play’s themes – October 17-19, 2025, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. The play centers on the stirring true story about the remarkable connection between the work of Canadian painter and eminent biologist Dr. Anne Adams (1940–2007) and French composer Maurice Ravel (1875–1937), both of whom lived with the same rare brain disease, Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), almost 100 years apart.
FTD is the most common form of dementia in people under age 60, which manifests with behavioral alterations – not memory loss or paralysis typical of other types of dementia. FTD is the same kind of dementia that afflicts actor Bruce Willis.
Running concurrently with the play, the brain health festival, led by Outreach Director Samantha Rose Williams, features an array of pre- and post-performance activities, include an art exhibition, informative talks, art therapy workshops, and engaging interactive displays designed to transform the conversation around dementia to spread a message of hope, possibility, and creativity.
Among the festival highlights, the first-ever major art exhibition of Dr. Adams’ extraordinary paintings will be mounted in The Wallis’ lobby. Viewers can study 10 of her paintings exploring the evolution of Dr. Adams’ artwork, from her preclinical phase through her progressive dementia. The exhibit illustrates that as certain areas of Dr. Adams’ brain stopped working, other regions stepped in, generating a previously hidden painting talent that enabled her to communicate through her art, even as her ability to speak deteriorated.
Talk backs accompany each of the three performances with a mix of medical experts, scientists, caretakers, advocates, and artists providing different perspectives on the issues raised by the play. One of the key panelists is the doctor who helped diagnose Dr. Adams – Dr. Bruce Miller, director of both UCSF’s Memory and Aging Center and the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI). Further helping to increase public awareness of FTD, free copies of books about dementia are available at the talk backs. They include Mystery of Social Brian by Dr. Bruce Miller and Dr. Virginia Sturm; ABC of Invertebrates by Anne and Robert Adams; and The Unexpected Journey by Emma Heming Willis, Bruce Willis’ wife and primary care partner.
Pop-ups providing self-guided hands-on experiential exhibits, presented by For Their Thoughts Foundation, which is dedicated to bettering the lives of those impacted by dementia, are available before and after each show in The Wallis’ lobby spaces. The experiential exhibits feature an altered reality dementia empathy experience and tactile displays that enable people to step into Dr. Adams’ shoes. They approximate Dr. Adams’ experience completing specific daily tasks. Another exhibit provides a calm space for reflection and highlights caregivers and their vital role in helping loved ones afflicted with dementia. Additionally, local dementia and FTD organizations, including the aFTD, Global Brain Health Institute, UCLA, and Alzheimer’s Los Angeles, are setting up tables in the lobby to share resources and ways to get engaged with local dementia services.
UnRavelled Outreach also brings to the Los Angeles community a groundbreaking LA Caregiver Roadmap for FTD produced by Cedars Sinai, in partnership with UCSF and Emma Heming Willis. This first-of-its-kind resource guide was created to connect LA-based caregivers to local services, research and drug trial opportunities, and community support for individuals diagnosed with FTD. The LA Caregiver Roadmap for FTD is a much-needed tool that will help ensure that patients and caregivers can access the essential support they need. The guide, available to audience members, will also be provided to healthcare providers and dementia organizations for even wider distribution and impact.
In addition to the numerous public-facing activities available at The Wallis, several other programs have been developed in conjunction with the play that directly target the frontline medical, academic, and FTD communities.
They include a grand rounds medical presentation for healthcare professionals led by Dr. Miller at Cedars-Sinai addressing FTD awareness and developments in diagnosis and care. A visiting lecture presented this fall at the UCLA Brain Research Institute focusing on the connection between science and art within the play UnRavelled is geared to medical, neuroscience, theater, music, art, and public health students. It will also be a component of two creative aging courses available this fall through GRoW @ The Wallis, The Wallis’ education arm.
Finally, a series of free art therapy workshops in music, visual art, movement, and storytelling created specifically for those living with FTD and their caregivers are available to the FTD and larger dementia communities. Inspired by Dr. Adams’ approach to trans-modal creativity, which fosters communication without relying on language, the workshops are designed to help sustain meaningful human connection for as long as possible, supporting resilience in both patients and caregivers. They will be led by GBHI Fellows Cathy Lopera, Magda Kaczmarska, Laura Calderon, and Veronica Rojas, all leading practitioners in artistic interventions for people with dementia.
UnRavelled Partner Organizations and Supporters
UnRavelled and its ancillary programs are presented in partnership and with the generous support of the Dana Foundation; Global Brain Health Institute; Kristin Holloway; Lilly Pharmaceuticals; The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration; The Kissick Family Foundation; UCSF Memory and Aging Center; and San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Local partners include Cedars-Sinai, For Their Thoughts Foundation, and UCLA Brain Research Institute. Support is also generously provided by the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
Tickets and Information
For more information about UnRavelled, please visit www.unravelledplay.com. For tickets and ticket information for UnRavelled ($32 - $77) and information, please call 310-746-4000 or visit www.thewallis.org. Tickets also include the exhibition of Dr. Adam’s paintings, a talk back, and pre- and post-show experiential displays on dementia and FTD. The Wallis is located at 9390 N Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.
EDITORS, PLEASE NOTE CALENDAR LISTING:
WHAT:
UnRavelled (World Premiere)
Created and Written by Jake Broder
CAST:
Lucy Davenport (Dr. Anne Adams)Andrew Borba (Robert Adams)Larry Poindexter (Dr. Bruce Miller)Leo Marks (Ravel)Tracey A. Leigh (Ida Rubinstein)
MUSIC ENSEMBLE:
Rachel Iba, violin
Michelle Elliott Rearick, cello
Aron Kallay, keyboards
Nathaniel Edison, winds
Randy Gloss, percussion
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Director: James Bonas
Executive Producer: Cath Brittan
Composer & Sound Designer: Mark Grey
Movement Director: Cydney Uffindell-Phillips
Set Designer: Emma Kingsbury
Lighting Designer: Masha Tsimring
Video Designer: Adam Larsen
Costume Designer: Molly Irelan
Outreach Director: Samantha Rose Williams
Production Manager: Kerstin Heinrich
WHEN:
October 17-19, 2025
Friday, October 17, 7:30 PM
Saturday, October 18, 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 19, 2:00 PM
WHERE:
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
RUN TIME:
90 minutes with no intermission
NOTE:
Exhibition of Dr. Anne Adam’s paintings, talk back, and pre- and post-show experiential displays on dementia and FTD are included with play admission
TICKET INFORMATION:
$32 - $77310-746-4000
www.thewallis.org
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON UNRAVELLED:
www.unravelledplay.com