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), kicks off its national tour with the East Coast premiere as part of the Penn Live Arts 2026/27 Season at the Harold Prince Theatre, Annenberg Center, surrounded by UnRavelled Outreach, a fascinating and enlightening brain health festival offering a deeper dive into the play’s theme. The brain health festival, led by Outreach Director Samantha Rose Williams, offers workshops and outreach opportunities that accompany the play’s performances, including pre- and post-performance activities, informative talks, art therapy workshops, and interactive displays for audience members to further engage with the play’s discussions around dementia–inspiring creativity and hope.

UnRavelled Outreach is a mission-driven, evidence-based, advocacy-minded “festival” of arts programming that runs concurrently with the award-winning play UnRavelled to transform the conversation around dementia, using the intersection of art and brain health to spread a message of hope, possibility, and creativity in the FTD ecosystem and beyond. Thanks to the support of sponsors, all programming is FREE.

UnRavelled is more than a stage production—it’s a national initiative combining live performance, scientific outreach, and transformative art. 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. “An exquisite example of epic theatre” (Colorado Boulevard), UnRavelled sheds a new, empathetic light on dementia. The outreach initiatives aim to change the conversation around dementia, foster community support, and inspire action through the power of neuroscience and creativity.

Art Therapy Workshops

Multigenerational Music and Movement Workshop
Facilitated by Magda Kaczmarska
Thursday, October 8 | 12:30pm-1:30pm | New Beginnings Adult Day Care Center

Friday, October 9 | 11:00am-12:00pm | A to Z Care Adult Day Care Center

Facilitated by Catherine Correa Lopera and Magda Kaczmarska. Focused on creative connection through singing, dancing, and playful group activities, this session invites participants to explore self-expression and social engagement in a supportive environment.

Movement Workshop: Stories in the Moment

Friday, October 9 | 12:00pm-1:00pm

A to Z Care Adult Day Care Center

Facilitated by Magda Kaczmarska. Stories in the Moment uses movement-based improvisation, narrative, and gesture-based choreography to collaborate with people living with dementia and their caregivers to tell their stories and build new connections.

Storytelling Workshop at the ISFTD Conference

Voices and Verses– A Journey Through Caregiving

Facilitated by Laura Calderon Cuevas

Friday, October 9 | 11:30am-12:20pm

Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, 1201 Market Street

This workshop invites caregivers to explore their personal journeys through reflective journaling and shared storytelling, offering space to process the emotional layers of daily life. Participants will leave with a heightened sense of community, presence, and healing.

Music & Poetry Workshop

Saturday, October 10 | 3:30pm-5:00pm

Room 511, Penn Live Arts

This workshop will pair sound and writing prompts to explore memory and relationships. Led by Global Brain Health Institute Fellow Catherine Correa Lopera and Michelle Lu and Grace Lee, Penn student leaders of WriteMinds, a creative writing initiative that brings accessible, imaginative workshops to older adults, particularly people living with brain change. Registration Required.

Dance & Poetry Workshop

Sunday, October 11 | 3:30pm-4:30pm

Studio Lobby, Penn Live Arts

This workshop will pair dance and writing prompts to explore memory and relationships. Led by Global Brain Health Institute Fellow Magda Kaczmarska and Michelle Lu and Grace Lee, Penn student leaders of WriteMinds, a creative writing initiative that brings accessible, imaginative workshops to older adults, particularly people living with brain change. Registration Required.

Pre- & Post-Show Events | October 8-10

Interactive Lobby

Harold Prince Theatre Lobby & Studio Lobby, Penn Live Arts

The Interactive Lobby consists of self-guided displays, kiosks, and a gallery designed to deepen the play’s themes and transform the conversation around dementia.

Tabling

A space for advocacy and continued engagement. Tables staffed by local dementia and FTD organizations including the AFTD, Beyond Memory, and The Vanishing Family will provide participants with pamphlets, email list sign-ups, petitions, and resources to stay engaged with dementia advocacy long-term.

Anne Adams Art Gallery

Harold Prince Theatre Lobby, Penn Live Arts

A curated gallery exhibition showcasing 10 works by Anne Adams, exploring how neurodegeneration and compensation resulting from dementia can lead to transmodal communication. Co-created in partnership with UCSF, the gallery was first presented in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The exhibit mirrors Bill Seeley’s paper, correlating the phases of her art with phases of her FTD – leading to the realization that when certain areas of the brain stop working, other areas may step in and take over, generating

previously hidden talents.

October 8-10 | Post-Show Talkbacks

Stay after the performances to dive deeper into the themes explored on stage.

Talks accompany each of the four performances, featuring medical experts and scientists as well as caregivers, advocates, and artists.

Thursday, Oct 8: What’s Coming Next

Kasey Kissick (Co-President, The Kissick Foundation)

Rev. Marion Karasiuk (Daughter of Anne Adams)

Jake Broder (Playwright)

Rachel Biblow (CEO AFTD)

Dr. Alessandro Biffi (Associate VP at Lilly)

This panel will discuss the future of FTD through a caregiving, policy, science, and advocacy lens, exploring the current roadblocks to support, early diagnosis, federal funding, and increased public awareness.

Friday, Oct 9: Arts in Brain Health

Katherine Cotter (Director of Research, Humanities and Human Flourishing Project, Penn)

Aaron Levy (Senior Lecturer, Department of English and History of Art, Penn)

Jackie Tileston (Professor of Fine Arts, Penn)

Jake Broder (Playwright)

This panel will discuss the role that the arts play in brain health awareness, advocacy, research, and treatment.

Saturday, Oct 10: The Language and Advocacy of Care

Sara Manning Peskin (Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology, Penn)

Emma Heming Willis (FTD Caregiver and Advocate)

Linde Lee Jacobs (FTD Advocate)

Dr. Jason Karlawish (Neurologist and Professor of Medicine, Geriatrics, Penn)

This panel will look into the unique role that caregivers and providers on the front lines play in brain health advocacy work.

Sunday, October 11: The Vanishing Family – Book Signing

Meet The New York Times bestselling author Robert Kolker and the family at the heart of his latest book, The Vanishing Family, about the heart-wrenching journey of a family facing an unthinkable destiny, whose flawed genetic code might hold the long-sought key to a cure for dementia.

Tickets and Information:

For more information about UnRavelled, please visit https://www.unravelledplay.com/. Tickets to performances at Penn Live Arts are $45 and can be purchased at https://pennlivearts.org/event/UnRavelled. Performances: Thursday, October 8 at 7PM; Friday, October 9 at 7:30PM; Saturday, October 10 at 2PM; Sunday, October 11 at 2PM