"There is a desperate need to increase the representation of those living with Alzheimer's and caregivers in media and pieces like this; this disease continues to impact more families and we need art pieces to help the broader public understand this disease." -Meghan Lemay, Alzheimer's Association, Regional Manager, supporting consultant for When The Mind's Free. Liz Stanton as Colleen and Carolyn Goelzer as Sharon in RLT's When The Mind's Free, photo by Visible Stories
When the Mind’s Free isa 90-minute original dance-theatre production that has been devised and developed over a four-year period of improvisation and in conversation with Shakespeare’s King Lear, as well as in consultation with memory care organizations, caretakers, families, and individuals dealing with memory loss.
When the Mind’s Free centers the experience of a lesbian couple and their family confronting the challenges of dementia and addiction. The production has been created to perform in formal theatres, as well as in less-formal venues, such as senior housing, senior centers, and other health care and community facilities. Each performance concludes with a moderated community conversation calling forth the lived experiences of audience members impacted by the themes of the play, providing a safe space where people can feel grief, hope, recovery, and a sense of belonging and community.
We are gathering support for our world premiere and tour 2024-2025. Each performance will provide resources from the Alzheimer’s Association and will engage with local caregiving communities. At our Caregivers' Staged Reading Event in June 2023, we were honored by the number of audience members who shared stories from their own lives, and talked about our performance and community conversation as being a powerful way to feel seen and to connect with each other. This is the nourishing work we want to bring to audiences everywhere.
Direction: Toby Vera Bercovici
Choreography: Annelise Nielsen
Lighting Design: Ezekiel Baskin
Costume Design: Mikayla Reid
Music Composition: Samuel V. Perry
Production Manager: Ellen Morbyrne
Cast:
Colleen: Liz Stanton*
Sharon: Carolyn Goelzer*
Gwendolyn: Myka Plunkett
Rowan: Annelise Nielsen
Delia: Linda Tardif
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association
When The Mind's Free is produced by Real Live Theatre (RLT), a cooperatively-run theatre company based in the Connecticut River Valley of Western Massachusetts whose mission is to enrich and uplift the cultures of our region through the medium of live theatre. www.reallivetheatre.net
