Can a working-class mother save her troubled son when her cries for help go unheard? Angela Cady is determined to get her son Andy through high school, but bipolar disorder threatens to tear the family apart. When Andy's volatility leads to hospitalization, and Angela's former addictions return to haunt her, she must summon the strength to draw out help from a neglectful, poverty-stricken town. Soon to be released as a feature film, The Mental State continues to be produced in schools, competitions, and communities across the country, exploring the human story behind the newscasts and asking how we as a national community can address the urgent issues of teenage mental illness and school shootings. A portion of net proceeds from sales will be donated to The National Alliance on Mental Illness, and March For Our Lives. "Its powerful impact is something that NAMI Westside LA wants to bring to every high school in the city and around the country." - The National Alliance on Mental Illness, Westside Los Angeles Our production was a huge success that led to three standing ovations, much discussion on campus, and an overall feeling of great accomplishment. I know this will be an experience that these students will remember for a lifetime. I'm still receiving notes from parents, and many teachers felt this show should be done as an assembly for the whole school. My students were asking how we are going to match this type of show next year, and I told them quite simply we're not. -Nancy Moran, Theatre director, Broken Box Theatre Company, Los Altos High School Josh Adell's plays include Campbobia and Suckers . His play Promenade is published in the THREE NEW PLAYS FOR YOUNG ACTORS Anthology and performed around the world. He also produced and directed the film documentary, Finding Bryon , which won the Audience Award at the 2008 Dances with Films Festival. He has performed as an actor on stage, film and TV in New York and Los Angeles, and has served as the high school drama teacher at Campbell Hall High School since 2001, where he has directed over 40 productions. He also served as Performing Arts Department Chair from 2003 to 2007. He is currently developing  Foxhole Circuit , a play to be published in 2020.