Announcing “Stigma” the play – collaborative 2017 DC-area show
Hi, my name is Kit Lisle. I live in Leesburg, Virginia with my wife of 20 years. We met in college and have two children, a 17 year old daughter, Phoebe (who is interested in helping special needs kids when she finishes school), and a 13-year old son, Beckett (who is a serious baseball player).
Aside from my occasional obsessions (old cars, racquetball, barbequing and writing a play – more on that in a moment), we lead a fairly mundane life. Well, actually, with two of us in the house with bipolar, it does get dramatic from time to time.
I wasn’t diagnosed with bipolar disorder until I was 35, and the episode leading to that diagnosis came as a very, very an unpleasant shock to the lives of my family and myself. My daughter essentially inherited the disorder from me and we have all the typical drama + a special bonus – a gift added to the father/daughter dynamic – our mutual and mutually exclusive dysfunction!
It was Phoebe who encouraged me to audition for TIMB in 2015. We were both selected as cast members of the DC 2015 Show and the experience changed me forever. However, I was sort of showing up “in absentia.” It took me a couple of rehearsals, but I figured out eventually that I was perpetuating the stigma; I was hiding from the spotlight (I even used a pseudonym at first)! As a small business owner, I feared that clients might react to the news that I have bipolar. Being introduced to an audience of supportive, understanding people — as someone else – well, it convinced me to get over it! The stigma may still exist, but the whole point of the organization is to reduce it!
In April of 2016, I began to explore the concept of writing a play. I spent part of my summer vacation thinking about it, what to write, who the characters would be and the title of the play hit me like a lightning bolt: “Stigma!” The play is about a dysfunctional bipolar family, struggling with mania and depression. It is a bit light-hearted, even funny in parts, and I thought it would be an excellent contrast to the stark, real truths being conveyed by This Is My Brave participants.
Therefore, we are producing the 2017 DC-area This Is My Brave show in conjunction with a staged reading of “Stigma,” to provide multiple perspectives on mental illness in an accessible and yet very real manner. My intention is that the stigma attached to mental health disabilities is reduced (even just a little) by our two-part performance. This is an important goal, and we look forward to the event on May 21st at the Keegan Theater in DC.
Casting Call (for Paid Acting Roles, Non-Union)
“Stigma”
(A Staged Reading)
About the play:
“Stigma” introduces us, sometimes in humorous and heartfelt ways, to the world of living in a bipolar household. Lola, the star of the show, is a 15 year old with bipolar (more on the depressive end). Her mission is to stabilize her wildly manic father, while improving her own resilience, to ensure his safety and to keep the family intact. Unfortunately, her mother and brother are of little help and her bizarre Psychiatrist has some very unusual tactics.
Dates:
Audition – February 24th: 1pm – 5PM
April 2 – Initial Rehearsal
April 16 — Rehearsal II (tentative)
April 29 – Rehearsal III
May 20 – Final Rehearsal
May 21 – Performance
Location of the Casting Call Audition on February 24th:
Cascades Public Library
Meeting Room B
21030 Whitfield Pl
Potomac Falls, VA 20165
