Hilarious and heartbreaking true stories from the mouths of those whose bodies will never be perfect and for whom a meal will never just be a meal…

HAVE YOU DIETED TODAY?

36:24:36 began in August of 2006 when creator Ann Malinowsky decided she was tired of all the years spent as a slave to her eating disorder and wanted to prevent other young girls and boys from undergoing the shame and self-hatred that come with having a poor body-image. She brought together a group of like-minded women for whom this issue holds personal resonance to create an original show featuring the real-life stories of addiction, self-loathing, binging, purging and restriction that each of these women has faced.

As the script began to take shape, an opportunity arose to perform the play as a workshop at Bard College in upstate New York. Ecstatic, the ladies searched for a director to guide their vision. Fortunately, that guide came in the form of James Duff, a director with a very personal connection to this issue. It was during this time that Off the Scale Productions was born and the opportunity to have the show produced in FringeNYC gloriously came their way.

Now, many scripts later, Off the Scale Productions thrilled to present 36:24:36. But the journey doesn’t end here. This is a message about taking responsibility for your actions and finding a sense of worth and purpose in this world. The message must be carried to Off-Broadway, Regional Theatres, Universities and Hospital Wards. Eating disorders are crippling diseases that affect men and women alike. Even children as young as six years old are declaring themselves “fat” and are forcing themselves on diets.

Here are some startling statistics:

GENERAL FACTS

* .5-3.7% of women suffer from anorexia nervosa, of which about 10% will die from the disorder *

1.1-4.2% of women suffer from bulimia nervosa *

10-15% of people suffering from eating disorders are male *

1-5% of all men have unhealthy eating patterns that would qualify as eating disorders

EATING DISORDERS AND TODAY’S YOUTH

*

45% of boys and girls in grades 3-6 want to be thinner, and 37% have dieted

*

9% of 9 year old have vomited to lose weight *

81% of 10 year old are afraid of being fat *

53% of 13 year old girls are unhappy with their bodies *

The #1 wish of girls 11-17 years old is to lose weight

PUBLIC POLICY IN TREATMENT AND RECOVERY

*

Insurers currently do not include eating disorders in mental health policies *
Insurers provide very little if any funding for and access to comprehensive treatment *
Congress provides no funding for eating disorder risk factors, treatment studies and prevention strategies *
Access to competent treatment centers is extremely limited and devastatingly expensive
Now do you understand why we refuse to ignore this issue?