📚 Book Club + Theater: Touched with Fire & 300 Paintings | Princeton
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📚 Book Club: Touched with Fire + Theater Performance - Mental Health & Creativity Discussion | Princeton
Book club meets theater! Join Beyond the Binding for an evening exploring creativity and mental health. Read Kay Redfield Jamison's Touched with Fire, watch comedian Sam Kissajukian's one-man show 300 Paintings at McCarter Theatre, then discuss over dinner. Perfect for book lovers, theater fans, and anyone fascinated by the creative mind.
📅 Saturday, November 1, 2025
- 5:30 PM - Dinner & discussion at The Dinky Bar & Kitchen, Princeton
- 7:30 PM - 300 Paintings at McCarter Theatre
- After show - Meet the artist & view paintings
💰 What You'll Spend:
- $36-97 theater ticket (buy directly from venue)
- $4-17 book (see links below)
- Your dinner/drinks
- Limited to 6 people
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THE BOOK
Touched with Fire by Kay Redfield Jamison | 384 pages
Explores the scientific link between bipolar disorder and artistic genius through historical examples.
Get the book: $10+ on Amazon | $4.39-$16.62 on ThriftBooks
THE SHOW
300 Paintings at McCarter Theatre | One week only!
Comedian Sam Kissajukian's true story: he quit standup, rented an abandoned factory, and created 300 paintings in six months during a manic episode. Hilarious, raw, and deeply moving. Stay after to meet Sam and see his actual paintings. Buy tickets
WHY THIS PAIRING WORKS:
Jamison's research on mania and creativity sets the stage for understanding Kissajukian's real-life experience documenting his mental state through art.
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HOW TO JOIN:
- Buy your theater ticket (do this first - show sells out!)
- Get the book and start reading
- RSVP here once ticket secured
- Meet us at The Dinky 5:30 PM Nov 1
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DISCUSSION TOPICS:
- The creativity-madness connection: Is mental illness necessary for genius?
- Should artists medicate conditions that fuel their work?
- What did Kissajukian's art reveal about his mental state?
Questions? Check our Rules of Engagement or message Heather.
🌟 Come for the psychology. Stay for the art. Leave with new perspectives.
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KEYWORDS: Book club Princeton, theater and books, mental health discussion, creativity and art, McCarter Theatre events, literary discussion group, adult book club New Jersey, psychology books, theater lovers
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