Left in Ink

Left in Ink

Conceived and Directed by Caitlin Lewins, Joan Yellen Horvitz Director Fellow
Created by Caitlin Lewins, Amy Schwabauer, and Ensemble
Additional Text by Jane Lewins
Composer and Sound Designer: Patrick Stoops

May 15, 2014 - May 31, 2014

7:00pm, Storefront Studio

80 min

$12-$18

A devised documentary performance about people who have memorial tattoos for suicide victims. Created from interviews, photographs, and online posts, this play tells intimate stories of confrontation, remembrance, and loving honor. Lewins brings authenticity, sensitivity, a quirky sense of humor, and passionate storytelling to this deep exploration of an entire subculture. WORLD PREMIERE/NORTHEAST OHIO CREATOR.


The Creative Production Team Includes:

Dan Kilbane - Stage Manager
Cassie Goldbach and Val Kozlenko - Scenic and Lighting Designers
Alison Garrigan - Costume Designer

Remarkable Rating:

Featuring Megan Brautigam, Jeanne Madison, Brett Radke, Amy Schwabauer, and Jerry Tucker

Buy Your Tickets Now!Photo: Steve Wagner

Join us for $12 Monday and Thursday performances and FREE BEER FRIDAY– mingle with the artists after the show while enjoying a FREE drink on us!

Cleveland Magazine Article

Click Here for an article about Left in Ink and Caitlin Lewins, Conceiver, Director and Joan Yellen Horvitz Director Fellow


Quotes that have Inspired Caitlin and Left in InkPhoto by: Steve Wagner

“Impossible is trying to connect in this world, trying to hold onto others while things are blowing up around you, knowing that while you’re speaking, they aren’t just waiting for their turn to talk– they hear you. They feel exactly what you feel at the same time that you feel it. It’s what I strive for every time I open my mouth– that impossible connection.
— Sarah Kay, Hiroshima

“I know what happened to you sucks. And I’m not going to give you some Photo by: Steve WagnerPollyanna shit about everything happens for a reason or this was God’s gift to make you strong… All you can do at a time like this, is just hang on until the scenery changes.
— Debbie, Queer as Folk

“There’s another way: to let ourselves be seen, deeply seen, vulnerably seen; to love with our whole hearts, even though there’s no guarantee– to practice gratitude and joy in those moments of terror, when we’re wondering, Photo: Steve Wagner‘Can I love you this much? Can I believe in this this passionately? Can I be this fierce about this?’ just to be able to stop and, instead of catastrophizing what might happen, to say, ‘I’m just so grateful, because to feel this vulnerable means I’m alive.'”
— Brene Brown, The Power of Vulnerability

“Separation
Your absence has gone through me
Like thread through a needle.
Everything I do is stitched with its color.”
— W.S. Merwin

“In time, in time they tell me, I’ll not feel so bad. I don’t want time to heal me. There’s a reason I’m like this.
I want time to set me ugly and knotted with loss of you, marking me. I won’t smooth you away.
I can’t say goodbye.”
— China Mieville, The Scar


Photo by: Steve WagnerLinks that have Inspired

Left in Ink Facebook Group
(where people have posted pictures of their memorial tattoo and stories surrounding their loved ones)

Memorial Tattoos on Pinterest

An Article about The Stigma of Suicide and How it Affects Survivors’ Healing


Photo by: Steve WagnerInfographs or Pictures that Inspire Caitlin:

Some Conversations are Scary

Her FAVORITE Story People Painting

“Helpful” Advice


Photo by: Steve WagnerREviews

“‘Left In Ink’ helps the healing begin. …for the most part it was flawless. For those suffering from a loss (recent or distant), it might be just the thing to help in your healing process. It certainly opened my eyes.”
Mark Horning, examiner.com

“‘Left in Ink’ is an intense and ambitious theatre project… Unlike any other stage work ofrecent memory, the piece overlaps heartfelt tributes, emotional revelations, and bittersweet anecdotes together to create an inspiring and encouraging evening of healing reflection. Creator Caitlin Lewins makes an indelible impression on viewers with this intelligent, introspective achievement. Her writing voice is honest and true, and her staging is intricate and unconventional.”
Rich Stimac, LandofCleve.net

“…[a] moving and thought provoking piece. We all need to talk. We all need to be educated. I was in a better position after watching this performance to know I needed to know more. That is a powerful piece of theatre.
Kevin Joseph Kelly, tpography.com