The world premiere of Still Alice based on the award-winning novel by Lisa Genova opens on April 10 at Lookingglass Theatre Company. Adapted and directed by Ensemble Member Christine Mary Dunford, the play centers around Professor Alice Howland who is studying the human brain when her own mind begins to falter.
"What is extraordinary about Lisa Genova's book and Christine's adaptation of it is that it takes on a fact of life which has increasing relevance for so many of us, but treats it with great compassion, humor, humanity, and light. This play gives us a rare opportunity to get 'inside the head' of someone experiencing Alzheimer's disease, while also giving us insight into the experience of those family members who are first-hand witnesses and must change and adapt alongside her," says Artistic Director Andrew White.
"This production is also a reunion of sorts for us, bringing back to Lookingglass some long-time friends, Christopher Donahue and Mariann Mayberry, both of whom worked with us in some of our earliest productions and have since gone on to terrific stage careers in Chicago and nationally. Having these members of our extended family back to work with so many Ensemble members — Christine Mary Dunford, John Musial, Eva Barr, David Kersnar, and Tracy Walsh — and joined by first rate actors Cliff Chamberlain and Joanne Dubach, makes this family story ring with even more resonance."
Dunford’s adaptation of the novel Still Alice was inspired, in part, by her longtime work with The Memory Ensemble, which she co-founded with The Northwestern Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center. The Memory Ensemble is an improvisational theater intervention designed to improve the quality of life for persons with early stage Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.
The play is accompanied by a series of post-show panel discussions and special events sponsored by Allstate and The Edgerton Foundation. They include Living and Learning on Sunday, April 28, following the 3:00 pm matinee; Living and Legality on Thursday, May 2, following the 7:30 pm performance; Living and Support on Sunday, May 5, following the 3:00 pm matinee; Living and Changing on Sunday, May 12, following the 3:00 pm matinee; Living and Performing on Thursday, May 16, following the 3:00 pm matinee; Living and Identity on Sunday, May 19, following the 3:00 pm matinee.
Still Alice runs through May 19, 2013 at Lookingglass Theatre Company on 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. For more information, visit www.lookingglasstheatre.org.
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