Ali is a mental health advocate and non violence activist who believes in using art and creativity for change. She is on the Advisory Board for Peace Over Violence and has collaborated with MTV, NAMI, Didi Hirsch Mental Health facility, Everytown, and Moms Demand Action.
MacLean and her team have launched Monumental Artists.
Monumental Artists is a new initiative dedicated to uplifting marginalized voices-particularly disabled playwrights affected by mental illness, neurodivergence, or traumatic brain injuries.
Too many talented artists face financial and structural barriers that keep them out of the industry, especially with DEI and the Arts under attack.
We’re here to change that.
Our mission: To amplify the voices of these artists and provide them with financial stability, creative support, and national visibility, while building a theater culture that is truly accessible.
Our cohort-based program will provide:
-commissions for new work
-developmental partnerships with theaters
-rehearsal and office space
-dramaturgical support
-mental health led talkbacks nationwide
These talkbacks are a crucial part of our model.
Ali’s first play, She’s Not There, received a reading after winning the John Gassner Award. Following the performance, audience members flooded her with questions about depression, suicide, and how to get help. So Ali partnered with Did Hirsch Mental Health Services and NAMI to lead post-show conversations. What happened next was transformative – families healed, strangers connected, and audiences received real resources.
That catharsis is not the core of Monumental’s work, with NAMI-WLA as a non-profit supporting partner.
Our initial goal is $50,000 to commission the first cohort, give them the freedom to create without financial fear, and a platform where they can be heard. Your tax-deductible gift directly funds this program.
As we launch this inaugural season, we hope you will consider a gift of $25, $75, $125, $250, or whatever feels right. Your support amplifies stories that challenge stigmas, inspire empathy, and build community.
You can make a tax deductible donation to Monumental Artists HERE:
Thank you for believing in this work and in the artists who deserve to be heard.
Donate to Monumental Artists.
FUN LOVERS UNITE
Ali emceed the Fun Lovers Unite benefit for Moms Demand Action and Everytown at the Echoplex in Los Angeles which featured Sarah Silverman, Neil Hamburger, Tim Heidecker Mike Watt & The Secondmen, and Jenny Lewis.
She also produced an annual comedy event called Distressed, for Peace Over Violence’s Denim Day programming. The show showcased some of the top comedians and artists in the nation.
DENIM DAY
In 2022, Ali was named a talent ambassador for MTV’s Mental Health Action Day. In 2023 they made her a partner. As both a Mental Health Ambassador and a Partner with MTV and Taskforce, Ali will help empower people around the globe to take action for mental health, whether for themselves, for their loved ones or to advocate for systemic changes in their community.
As part of her participation in Mental Health Action Day, Ali has created content with stand-outs in the entertainment and media field, such as Frank Black (lead singer of the Pixies), Wil Wheaton (author and actor from Star Trek), Craig Finn (lead singer of The Hold Steady), Rachel Bloom (actress, writer of Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Reboot), Michael Ian Black, (comedian and author), Mike Doughty (musician, author of The Book of Drugs), Carly Chaikin, (Artis, actress from Mr. Robot), Kat Corbett (Sirius XM radio host), Brent Morin (comedian, writer, actor of Undateable, Conan), and many more.
Brent Morin
Rachel Bloom – Part 3
ALI MacLEAN 