Help bring Samuel A. Simon's award-winning play, Dementia Man, An Existential Journey to all who need to see it in 2024! Together we can create a vision of a meaningful life for those with cognitive disorders.
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Dementia Man, An Existential Journey is the award-winning autobiographical story of a man who faces his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease by actor and playwright Samuel A. Simon.
In this full-length theatrical piece, Simon takes the stage as a man facing his cognitive decline and asks the hard questions of what to do next in the face of what he calls “an existential journey.” It is a peek into the head and heart of the struggle with a broken medical system and a personal and family challenge. The play challenges the audience to imagine a meaningful future for the millions of people with neurocognitive disease, with accommodation and adaptation.
Directed by Thadd McQuade with dramaturgy by Gabrielle Maisels, Dementia Man, An Existential Journey made its world premiere at Capital Fringe in Washington D.C. in July 2023 and is the winner of the 2023 Dementia Arts Impact Award by the Dementia Spring Foundation.
"Congratulations to Sam Simon on his brilliantly conceived new work! All were in agreement on the vital importance of this message. A unique first-hand account from a charismatic storyteller."
“I loved the complete unpredictability of the show. As you already know, it's such an unprecedented theatrical experience to hear Sam's story -- but it was more than a novel experience. It was head-spinning, even shocking, in a captivating way, to see him trying to decipher himself and try to get his arms around his life as impacted by the disease process. It felt like a true breaking-through from a hidden dimension of human experience. At dinner we talked about it nearly the entire time. All of us felt immediately invested in the direction of the show and all of the possibilities for its development and audiences.”
“A well-orchestrated story.”
“You are very brave to do this.”
“Very touching and compelling. I was riveted.”
“Great Show”
“You have a charm that shines from the stage and makes us feel welcome!”
Samuel A. (Sam) Simon started his career in Washington, DC, as a lawyer for Ralph Nader’s first advocacy group. He then spent 25 years as head of a public affairs firm. In that work, he was often in the news, appearing on Face The Nation, Phil Donahue Show, Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, and many more. Sam calls his playwriting and theatre work his 4th Age. His first play, The Actual Dance, Love’s Ultimate Journey Through Breast Cancer, was later turned into an award-winning memoir.
In 2021, Sam was diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s. Despite the enormous challenges of this diagnosis, Sam has become “Dementia Man,” a powerful advocate through theater, using his own experience as inspiration to reshape the narrative surrounding cognitive decline. With his newest play Dementia Man, An Existential Journey, Sam defies stereotypes and inspires audiences. Sam lives in Mclean, Virginia, with his wife Susan. They have two children and four grandchildren.
