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Saturday, July 5, 2025 | 7:00 PM

La Pena Cultural Theatre 3105 Shattuck Avenue Berkeley, CA, 94705

Pay what you can!

WARNING: This play contains references to suicide, gun violence, and mental health crisis. Viewer discretion is advised.

  • Synopsis: Through an unlikely connection, Jim, a troubled man, contemplating violence, encounters Jane, someone looking to help. Exploring racism, xenophobia and the impacts of gun violence, LINE TO HOPE by Courtney Alex is a powerful and thought provoking exploration into the complexities of mental health, societal pressures, and genuine human connection.

    WARNING: This play contains references to suicide, gun violence, and mental health crisis. Viewer discretion is advised.

    Theater for the Public’s Health

    Join us for a powerful one-act play exploring the critical public health issues of mental health, gun violence and political polarization. Immediately following the performance, a panel of mental health, violence prevention and public health experts will lead a community discussion, offering insights and answering questions related to the themes presented on stage. After the play and panel, feel free to stick around for a community reception where audience members, panelists, and local organizations can connect, collaborate, and share resources. n text goes here

  • We welcome collaborators to this event. Here are some ways you can get involved:

    • Can’t join us but want to support? You can donate to Elevate here!

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Meet the Playwright & Cast

Courtney Alex, PsyD is a licensed clinical psychologist based in the SF Bay area with a background in all things theatre. She has been practicing in CA since 2017 working with children, families and adults using an AntiRacist lens in her clinical practice. She has performed and collaborated in various visual art installations and bay area theatre projects for over a decade; including a directing debut in the 2019 VDay season with VDay East Bay the Vagina Monologues emphasizing racial diversity and acknowledgment of the limitations of a script that aims to represent the experiences of all women. She continues to work towards integrating her psychological and theatre practices to engage audiences in complex and vital topics and is very excited for her debut as a playwright for Elevate and their mission driven theatre!

Cast

Born-and-raised San Franciscan Emma is thrilled to be making her debut with Elevate Theatre Company. Her credits include a smattering of wacky roles with Illumeably, the titular role Laura from the play Laura, and T from The Yellow Wallpaper 2.0. Emma trains with Lesly Khan & Co. She would like to thank her friends and family, with a special shoutout to her amazing husband Nestor, for their love and support.

John Patrick Daly is thrilled to be a part of Elevate Company and this production of Line to Hope. Recent Credits: Tenet, Car Lot, A Million Aisles Away.

Carole Swann is grateful to be working with Elevate Theatre and its mission toward mental health awareness. Theatre credits include Venn Diagram (Playground) Clark Kent Gets His Suit Cleaned and My Secret Inner Life (Hothouse Theatre Co) Long Day’s Journey into Night and Into Night: A Day at Tao House (Eugene O’Neill Festival) Come Here Often? (Left Coast Theatre Co.) The Speakeasy (Boxcar Theatre) The Mariner (Third Cloud from the Left) The Tempest (Curtain Theatre) and The Crucible (Custom Made Theatre). Carole has also enjoyed directing new work for Left Coast Theatre Co., and will soon be seen in their production of The Future is Queer.  Carole is a Bay Area native who trained as an actor  in San Francisco and London.

Sarah Pendergrass is a recent BFA Musical Theatre graduate from Missouri State University. Regional credits include Crazy for You (Tent Theatre), Once on This Island, A Year with Frog and Toad, and Memphis (Theatre Under the Stars). She’s also trained with the Royal Theatre Academy of London. With love & immense gratitude to those who light the way! www.sarahpendergrass.com

Peter Malmquist is an actor from Mill Valley, CA. He received a BA in Acting from Penn State University. Theatre: Who's Gonna Kill The Cockroaches? (FrigidNY, NYC), Please Don't Slow Me Down (Playground), The Miser (dir. Julianna Rees). Film: Mommy, Mommy, Mommy (dir. Helen Gallagher), Art Kills (dir. Chris Pittas). 

Social/Instagram: @petermalmquist

Panelists

With over two decades of dedicated service to the community, Binh is a passionate advocate for mental health support. Holding an MSW from Cal State East Bay, they currently serve as the Operations Officer for Crisis Support Services, where they previously directed the Crisis Line and have taken over 18,000 calls. For Binh, this work is deeply personal, stemming from their own lived experience supporting family and friends through mental health and suicidal crises. Driven by the belief that everyone deserves to be cared for, they are dedicated to building a robust crisis continuum of care for all. When not at work, Binh enjoys spending quality time with family, whether it's hiking local trails, playing board games, or cooking something delicious.

Sharon Frasier, LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. A proud Oakland, California native, Sharon became a therapist out of a deep commitment to serving and uplifting her community. She brings over a decade of experience in community mental health, where she worked extensively with individuals living with severe and persistent mental illness. Licensed since 2015, Sharon established her private practice in 2018, where she specializes in helping adults navigate anxiety, depression, and the complex demands of modern life—from career pressures and relationship challenges to the daily stressors of “adulting.” Her work is grounded in empathy, cultural awareness, and a practical, collaborative approach to healing and personal growth.

Griffin Dix is a writer and longtime advocate for gun safety reform. His activism began after the tragic death of his son, Kenzo, who was killed in an unintentional shooting while visiting a friend’s home. In the wake of this loss, Griffin and his wife sued Beretta USA, arguing that the handgun involved lacked crucial safety features that could have saved their son’s life. Griffin tells this powerful story in his recent book, "Who Killed Kenzo? The Loss of a Son and the Ongoing Battle for Gun Safety," which chronicles the Dix v. Beretta USA trials and the broader movement to set safety standards for firearms. His efforts as part of a California gun safety coalition helped lead to new state laws requiring safety features on handguns—legislation that significantly reduced unintentional gun deaths in California and across the U.S. as the safer firearms were sold nationwide. Despite progress, Griffin continues to fight for further reform, highlighting that many guns on the market remain needlessly unsafe. Today, he is a proud member of Brady: United Against Gun Violence, where he remains a leading voice in the push for common sense gun laws. To learn more about his advocacy and his book, visit: griffindix.com.