This August Linda will perform in the main stage production of "The Night of the Iguana" by Tennessee Williams at the Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge, MA.

Following is more information from the Festival's press release concerning Linda and play dates:

>> [...] Linda Hamilton will play the randy widow Maxine Faulk. Director Anders Cato says, "Maxine is a very difficult character to cast. I thought about a lot of great actresses who are the right age, who look right, but I had a hard time imagining them in the part. Maxine is this strong, no-nonsense businesswoman - and yet she has to be very sensual and emotionally transparent. Williams says that everything about her should have the openness and freedom of the sea. In the play, Shannon says that she is larger than life, but there can't be anything artificial about her. Maxine carries the realistic level of the play and if you don't have just the right kind of actress it is impossible to achieve the proper balance between realism and poetry. Then I heard that Linda Hamilton was interested. We read some of the scenes from the play and I thought: That's it. She is Maxine. Linda had a way of making it all seem effortless. She handled all the contradictions about Maxine in a very natural way and she was able to do it with humor and a lot of heart."
Ms. Hamilton studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in New York. After appearing in numerous stage productions, she made her professional acting debut with an appearance in the daytime television drama, Search for Tomorrow. She appeared in several television movies, including the critically-acclaimed A Mother's Prayer, for which she received a Cable Ace Award and a Golden Globe nomination, and The Color of Courage, for which she received a Golden Satellite Award for Best Actress. She is well-known to television audiences for her starring role in CBS' acclaimed series, Beauty and the Beast, for which she received an Emmy and a Golden Globe nomination. Hamilton's breakthrough role in feature films was as Sara Connor in The Terminator. She then reprised her role in Terminator 2, earning both critical raves and winning Best Female Performance at the 1992 MTV Awards. Her current film credits include Missing in America with Danny Glover, Smile opposite Sean Astin, and the independent film Broken starring Heather Graham.

[...]

The Night of the Iguana plays August 1 - 12, Monday through Saturday evenings at 8pm with matinees at 2pm on Thursdays and Saturdays.
Tickets range from $37-$64.
Contact the BTF box office at 413-298-5536 ext. 33 or www.berkshiretheatre.org <<

March 28 and April 4 Linda guest starred in the first two episodes of the new drama series "Thief".
You can check out a trailer as well as other stuff on the network's website.

18 April 2006 (Spaghetti Junction Urban Film Festival)

8 December 2005 (Monaco International Film Festival)

13 November 2005 (Northampton Film Festival)

12 November 2005 (St. Louis International Film Festival)

7 October 2005 (HATCH Audiovisual Arts Festival)

25 September 2005 (San Diego Film Festival)

22 September 2005 (International Diversity Film Market)

30 July 2005 (Woods Hole Film Festival)

28 May 2005 (Seattle International Film Festival)

We got the news that the glasses that Linda wore in "T2" was not model 10610 but model 2809. We even got pics of them, so we guess model 2809 is the correct information.

October 14, 2005 Linda was on "Larry King Live" and talked about being bipolar and the Complete Wellness Approach. You can read the transcript here.

Following is an article about the American Psychiatric Association Wellness Symposium in Atlanta from the Brooklyn Bureau Community Service's website:

>> Brooklyn Bureau clubmember and staff participate at American Psychiatric Association Wellness Symposium in Atlanta
n May 2005, Dawne Miller, MetroClub member, Sue Buchanan, Assistant ARS Department Director and Dr. Lori Tannenbaum, Director of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, traveled to Atlanta and participated in a mental health conference during the American Psychiatric Association's Annual Meeting. Dawne was a guest speaker.
The Compete Wellness: The Whole Person Approach Symposium was attended by more than 200 mental health professionals and focused on the progress being made by patients on a treatment plan that combines exercise, diet, and physiological monitoring designed to lessen drug side effects and improve medication compliance.
"This approach is a successful way to manage the often severe side effects of antipsychotic medication," said Lori Tannenbaum.
Some individuals taking certain antipsychotic medication experience side effects such as constant thirst, weight gain of 100 pounds or more, sexual dysfunction and the development of irreversible, involuntary body movements. This can lead consumers to stop their antipsychotic medication as they try to avoid the extreme side effects. Tragically, this action also ends the essential benefits of their medication. Symptoms of psychosis and associated behaviors recur. Hard-fought progress made by the patient to stabilize his or her life and integrate into the community can be lost.
Fortunately, the opposite is also true: When side effects are lessened or avoided, consumers will likely remain faithful to their medication, leading to greater stability and continued progress.
The Complete Wellness approach to mental health management requires psychiatrists - often the most consistent medical professional in the life of a mentally ill consumer - to monitor their patient's diet, waist circumference, weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and body fat levels. The Wellness approach is continued by the staff at Project Moving On (PMO), MetroClub, East New York Clubhouse, Supported Employment, Enclaves in Industry and the Adolescent Employment and Education Program (AEEP), who play a significant role in re-enforcing better life choices. Initially trained last year in a 3-day seminar, Brooklyn Bureau staff periodically receive further on-site training and support by Team Specialists from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
This broad application of the Complete Wellness approach led to the Brooklyn Bureau's invitation to participate in the Atlanta conference.
"In fact, the approach may benefit our MRDD population, as well," Lori said.
The highlight of the symposium was MetroClub member Dawne Miller's speech. The only consumer asked to address the audience, Dawne eloquently explained how the Complete Wellness approach has helped her cope with the added stress of caring for her parents this year.
"I needed to eat well and exercise to maintain my mental health. Through speaking with the nutritionist and through the menu planning group held each week at MetroClub I began to learn what foods I could eat more of and what foods I should avoid. By participating in the clubhouse and getting my medication adjusted I have been feeling better than ever," she said at the podium.
Dawne was salutatorian at her high school graduating class. Soon after, her illness took her on an unplanned path of hardship. She joined MetroClub, becoming an active member more than five years ago, and has since learned invaluable skills to help her manage her illness, become stable and lead a productive life.
At the clubhouse, Dawne co-led a support group for individuals who were having difficulty coping with issues related to 9/11. She then continued as the primary leader of a support group for one year. MetroClub sponsored her training as a peer advocate.
"I can now give back to others," she explained to the conference audience. <<

"M.I.A." again got renamed to just "Missing in America".

The webiste for "Smile" went online: http://www.smilethemovie.com

Following is an article about the tour kick off for "Complete Wellness" in September 2004 in Washington, DC from UMDNJ magazine:

>> Betty Vreeland never thought she'd find herself traipsing all over the country - with actress Linda Hamilton of Terminator fame, no less - promoting wellness initiatives for the mentally ill. But that's exactly what she did this past fall.
Vreeland is an advanced practice nurse at UMDNJ's University Behavioral HealthCare (UBHC). As program manager for UBHC's Center for Excellence in Psychiatry, she's an advocate for improving the physical and mental health of those with psychiatric illnesses. The University has partnered with pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company to promote this concept. Vreeland is the University's "point person" on the project.
To get the word out about the wellness program, a celebrity media campaign was launched in September 2004. "We wanted a spokesperson with mental illness who was physically fit," says Vreeland. It seemed like a tall order, but Linda Hamilton fit the bill. She has bipolar disorder and went public about her experiences a few years ago. Anyone who has seen her movies can attest to her level of fitness.
Vreeland would accompany Hamilton on the media tour, providing the medical information about severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) and wellness. The two went for media training, and trained each other as well. Vreeland coached Hamilton about the connection between mental illness and overall health. In turn, she says she learned a great deal about public speaking by observing Hamilton.
"Linda is so poised," she says. "She's used to being in front of the camera and the focus of attention. But she had to switch her 'head set.' People wanted to ask her about her career and what it was like to work with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Somehow she had to work in the wellness message. She did it well, and we got great coverage."
The tour kicked off in September 2004 in Washington, DC, where they were interviewed by the Associated Press. They then traveled to New York and other cities for television and print interviews for The View, Oprah, Fox News, ET, Extra, Good Housekeeping magazine, and other media.
One day, they did a satellite media tour, an experience Vreeland describes as "effective, but surreal." Thirty TV stations around the country tapped into the studio via satellite. The interviews were stacked up back to back and the two spent the morning answering lots of questions.
"They can see you, but you can't see them," Vreeland says. "So you're not sure where to look. It's a strange experience."
Vreeland admits to having mixed feelings about her current situation, where she's doing less and less patient care and more and more speech-making. "I have a love-hate relationship with public speaking," she says with a laugh.
"But the best part of it is I'm reaching more people with an important message."
Those with SPMI smoke more than the general population, drink more alcohol, exercise less, have poor dietary habits, and are prone to being overweight. These lifestyle factors take a toll: Studies show that on average, someone with a major mental illness will die eight to 20 years earlier than those without psychiatric disorders.
Vreeland became interested in the health problems of people with SPMI early in her career. Many years ago, while she was working as a nurse in an out-patient community mental health center, a patient collapsed and turned blue. The nurses initiated CPR, but could not revive him. He was only 40 years old. "It was shocking," Vreeland recalls. "We wondered if it was a suicide. We couldn't imagine how someone this age could die so suddenly." It was later determined that the patient died of natural causes.
Over the next several months, two more of the center's patients, all in their 40s or 50s, died of natural causes. "It started me thinking that, in fact, this was unnatural," she says. "I decided I needed to become better prepared to take care of the physical health of these patients." She enrolled in the graduate nursing program at UMDNJ's School of Nursing, earning a dual master's degree in mental health and primary care nursing.
"Many people with mental illness don't have primary care providers," she says. "Sometimes it's all they can do to deal with their psychiatric problems." Almost half the people with SPMI suffer from undiagnosed medical problems. In addition, those who take psychotrophic medications often gain weight, putting them at risk for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and other serious disorders.
The Center for Excellence in Psychiatry oversees the Partners for Excellence in Psychiatry: Neuroscience Treatment Team Partner (NTTP) Training Program, a collaborative effort of UMDNJ and Eli Lilly and Company. NTTP is a comprehensive educational program that encourages healthy lifestyles for people with mental illness.
Through funding from Lilly, mental health workers from all over the country travel to Piscataway for intensive four-day training sessions. They hear about new approaches in treating mental illness and improving physical health, learn weight management and smoking cessation strategies, how to implement exercise programs, and other skills. When they return to work, they receive ongoing support from UMDNJ via visits and phone calls.
A team of 15 professionals at UBHC and several faculty members from UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School have thus far trained more than 1,000 clinicians from 250 agencies across the country. Vreeland estimates they've reached tens of thousands of patients. "We're trying to bridge the gap between physical and mental health by stressing the importance of treating the whole person," she says. <<

Linda showed up at the Big Bear International Film Festival, California.

On December 15, 2003, Linda and co-star Danny Glover visited The Wall to film a scene from "M.I.A. - Missing in America" a motion picture about a Vietnam veteran haunted by memories of lives lost under his command.
After the filming, Linda and Glover met with Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund's President Jan Scruggs to discuss the Congressionally mandated Education Center at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
More information as well as a Linda statement is available here.