Short story written 132 years ago will come to life on stage in one-woman show
When the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” was published in January 1892, its author, American voting rights activist Charlotte Perkins Gilman, wanted readers to better understand postpartum depression and its “cures.”
It was “an age in which women possessed few rights, being raised to respect and honor an ironclad patriarchy,” said director Phillip M. Church, who is bringing the story to the stage through his What if Works performance group.
Gothic in style and set in the year of its publication, the multimedia adaptation presents Gilman’s semi-biographical short story verbatim. It features Marla Lopez as The Wife in the solo performance presentation.
Church said the story focuses on the wife of a renowned physician who is prescribed a three-month “Rest Cure” at an isolated, remote, country mansion as curative therapy to overcome her “unpredictable emotions” following the birth of her child.
“In the eyes of medical science, the ‘Rest Cure’ succeeded in eliminating all distractions that stood in the way of a woman regaining control over irrational hysteria. Such distractions included family, friends and the newborn baby,” he said.
“In an attempt to adjust to the nursery-turned-playroom to which she has been confined, the intricately detailed yellow wallpaper gradually morphs and changes as her mind dives deeper into a psychological journey that has kept its readers spellbound for 132 years.”
“The Yellow Wallpaper” is still on the reading lists of many high schools and universities across the country.
“Theater audiences can engage in the journey of a fearless author who stepped forward to raise her voice over a mental health condition that even in the 21st century continues to be stigmatized,” Church said.
He is hoping the theme of postpartum depression will act as a springboard for audience talkback, following the production, on the broader issues of mental health.
Performances begin Sept. 21 and run through Oct. 9 at various Miami-Dade venues. They include Florida City Youth Center, Mary Anne Wolfe Theatre at the FIU Biscayne Bay Campus, Coral Gables Library, and Westchester Performing Arts Center. The last performance, Oct. 9, will be a benefit for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Most performances are free by reservation. For tickets and information go to www.whatifworks.com or call 305-586-3919. The Oct. 9 benefit performance tickets are $15 for general admission, and $10 for seniors, students, and veterans.
BEN’S FRIENDS NOW IN MIAMI BEACH
Ben’s Friends is a national support group for people in the hospitality industry who are struggling with addiction and substance abuse. The organization announced in August that it is now offering help through its new Miami Beach Chapter.
The chapter welcomes anyone — chefs, bartenders, line cooks, servers, sommeliers, host and hostesses, GMs and owners — who has found, or is struggling to find, sobriety while working in the food and beverage industry.
The group was founded in 2016 by Charleston, South Carolina, restaurateurs Steve Palmer and Mickey Bakst in honor of Ben Murray, a chef and colleague who took his own life after struggling with alcoholism.
Ben’s Friends now has chapters in more than 20 cities across the country and, after meeting virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic, the group is hosting in-person meetings in all locations.
National Zoom meetings continue to be hosted daily, as well as women-only and men-only meetings.
The mission of the organization is “to offer hope, fellowship, and a path forward for those struggling with substance abuse and addiction in an industry that has one of the highest rates of substance abuse in the country.”
Patrick Lingle and his wife, Sarah, are leading the Miami Chapter.
“I am grateful to have met Mickey Bakst, the co-founder of Ben’s Friends, and for the opportunity to give back to the industry that we both love,” Lingle said.
“We all spend most of our careers taking care of others through ‘hospitality,’ but Ben’s Friends gives us a platform to learn how to care for ourselves and our people. We share our individual journeys from addiction to sobriety, while still continuing to thrive in the restaurant business.”
Meetings are held at 11 a.m. every Wednesday at PLANTA restaurant, 850 Commerce St., Miami Beach. For more on the organization and meeting details visit www.bensfriendshope.com.
“I am living proof that it is possible to live a sober life in this business,” Lingle said.
“Through Ben’s Friends, we are able to show people seeking sobriety exactly how we do it. I resonate with the open-mindedness of Ben’s Friends in the belief that there is no wrong way to get sober. Sarah and I are excited to launch the next chapter of Ben’s Friends in Miami Beach and give back what was freely given to us.”
ADDITION AND CORRECTION
Mary Benton, founding director of Bound by Beauty in Miami Shores, wants to let readers know that in addition to donations from the public, the Brockway Library Native Garden Project received a grant from the Miami Shores Community Alliance.
Benton has lived in Miami Shores for 11 years, not 30 years as stated in the print version of this column Aug. 25.
Write to ChristinaMMayo@gmail.com with news for this column.
