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A new Boston show highlights men’s mental health in a production that transforms the stage into the inside of the artist’s mind.In ‘Come on in Live’ Daniel Callahan steps into his psyche for the 85-minute one-man show in Boston’s Strand Theatre. This production is about me telling my own story, said Callahan. Callahan, an interdisciplinary artist, might be recognized for his work DJing or for his MassQing technique in which he turns faces into canvas.Watch this story from Chronicle featuring MassQing: But in ‘Come on In Live,’ Callahan is stripping away outer layers to dig for insight into his own experience. The issues that I’m dealing with are issues that other people are dealing with,” he said. “And getting that validation just makes me realize how much more in common we have. The production in Boston’s Strand Theatre will turn the stage into the inside of Callahan’s mind, examining life growing up in the church as a preacher’s son. It also explores the intersections of the influence of hip-hop and growing up in predominately White schools. I’m learning a lot more about myself,” Callahan said. “You know, what’s beautiful, obviously in the show is about my life, but it basically created a space for me to really start reflecting on what has happened to me. How have I changed? ‘Come on In’ began as a feature-length film he wrote and performed in, portraying an artist who is losing control of his own mind. Callahan said it came from his own fascination with our mental lives.”You know, everything we see is through our own perception,” Callahan said. “And so if anything were to change in our minds, it would change our entire reality.On stage, audiences will watch as Callahan wrestles with what it means to become a man, a Black man, in America. It’s a multimedia exploration featuring projected visuals, music and items integral to his early life including school desks, boomboxes and cassette tapes.”I like the story,” said Iona Morris Jackson, director of ‘Come on In Live.’ Morris Jackson has decades of acting experience under her belt, but in recent years has branched out to directing, credited with work on shows like ‘black-ish.'”I like shows that are not just entertaining but are really talking about life,” she said.During an afternoon rehearsal in a Roxbury church hall, Morris Jackson guided Callahan around the space, directing his body language and energy to coordinate with the points he was discovering aloud in what would otherwise be an inner monologue.”What I’m hoping is that a lot of men will come and go, ‘Hey, babe, I want to talk to you about something,” she said. “Or seek mental health or just call a friend who they are close to and say, ‘Hey, man, I want to talk to you about just some things going on with me.'”She hopes that Callahan’s mental exploration will be relatable and therefore challenge the audience’s perception of themselves.”Look at the demons that tell us we’re not good enough,” Morris Jackson said. “Just push it to the side and follow your passions and forgive yourself for the mistakes you made.” Callahan said everyone, but men in particular, need spaces for conversations about what’s going on in their minds. I think we keep a lot of things inside that we don’t tell each other and I wanted to change that,” he said. “I want us to start communicating more, especially men, especially Black men.He caveats, however, that while the show is from the perspective of a Black man, it is first and foremost the story of a human being.”And the more I’m able to go inward and sort of bring out what is real,” he said. “The more and more I am confident that this is going to connect with other people.” ‘Come on In Live’ will be performed at the Strand Theatre in Boston from March 28 through March 30. Morris Jackson said they aim to travel with the show, hoping to bring it to audiences and festivals around the country and, eventually, into Europe.