Theatre Oxford’s production of “The Other Place,” which premieres this weekend, will immerse audiences in the deepest, darkest realities of one mental health condition while raising money for another here in Oxford.
“The Other Place” was first performed Off-Broadway and starred Dennis Boutsikaris and Laurie Metcalf in 2011, who received an Obie Award and a Tony Award nomination for her performance. Since then, it has been performed all over the country, including a run on Broadway.
The play will premiere on the Powerhouse stage at 7:30 p.m. on April 19 at the Powerhouse, where it will be directed by Brian Whisenant and produced by Mary Stanton Knight.
In honor of April being Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month, all of the funds raised, besides ticket sales, go towards the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s c.
“It’s a great way to tie in our last production of the season with raising money for a great cause,” she said. “We will be holding a silent auction and raffle on items donated by local and regional businesses each night of the run. All proceeds go directly to Team Fox.”
Knight describes the play as a “rollercoaster ride” and is looking forward to watching the actors bring the story to life each night.
“It’s an edge of your seat production, and I think the audience will have so much fun trying to unravel the mystery before the big reveal,” she said.
In the production, the audience observes as the mind of the narrator, Juliana – whose expertise, ironically, is neurology – unravels as dementia slowly ravages the once-brilliant scientist. Part of the play’s brilliance, according to an NPR interview with playwright Sharr White, lies in its juxtapositions – it opens as the Juliana establishes her extensive knowledge in her field solidifying her position as the ultimate expert, and as the play continues, she becomes more and more unreliable.
The play blurs fact with fiction and draws attention to what it’s like to deal with the diagnosis of a mental health condition, something the cast members are passionate about.
Long-time actor Matthew King, who plays the narrator’s husband Ian, was personally affected by a mental health condition when his father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2014.
Since then, King has taken advantage of opportunities to raise money for Parkinson’s disease research. When he got involved with Theatre Oxford, his first question to the board was about if they had ever done anything for charity outside of their own non-profits. When he found out they hadn’t, King “charged right in.”
“We decided to figure it out as we went,” he said. “This will be our second Parkinson’s fundraiser. We’ve done well in soliciting from artists and local businesses. It’s been a really good effort – everyone is putting in a lot of hard work.”
Though revenue from the production’s ticket sales will be going to Theatre Oxford, money raised from raffle and art sales, which will take place in the main entryway to the Powerhouse, will all be donated to Parkinson’s disease research.
Whisenant will return to directing in this production, something he has been planning to do for “quite some time.”
“Interestingly enough, I was supposed to be the assistant director for this one, but a few weeks before auditions, I was asked to take the helm,” he said. “I’m so very glad that I did. This is a very complicated story with an unreliable narrator. Navigating those two things has been a dream come true for me, as I love a challenge.”
He said the biggest challenge, though, has come with casting. Many women backed out due to the “difficult” content of the play.
“Kayleigh, who is absolutely fearless, is a dream in the part, despite its challenges,” Whisenant said. “When those women see this play I think they will regret their decisions.”
Graham plays the production’s protagonist, Juliana, and though most of her involvement with Theatre Oxford is on the technical side of theatre, she wanted to be back on stage again, under the lights. Graham is proud to play Juliana’s character, and said that she is proud to be “inhabiting her for at least a little while.”
“There are many members of Theatre Oxford’s tribe who have had family members and friends affected by this horrible disease,” she said. “This is our way of trying to give back and honor those people.”
King, who serves as president of Theatre Oxford’s board of directors, was also happy to switch places to get back on stage to perform and challenge himself as an actor.
“I wanted to do something different from what I have been doing,” he said. “I wanted to get my hands dirty again and flex those muscles that I haven’t flexed in a while. This was a great opportunity to do that. To be on stage with talented people, one, is an honor. To be on stage, two, with your friends is an even bigger boon to the spirit.”
Along with performing again after a stint in directing, producing and managing efforts on the board of directors’ end, King hopes the play will raise awareness about what it’s like to live with a neurological condition.
“It’s not a lighthearted play, which usually does well in Oxford. It’s hard material – very emotional. You get to see all of the different aspects of humanity,” he said “People need to see it because it brings attention to mental health. Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, dementia – they’re all neurological disorders, and we have a good population here in Oxford.”
When King’s father was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he sought out a support group in Oxford but was told that there was not an active one. King said that instead, after visiting hospitals and neurology clinics, his father was told to he might have to travel to Memphis or Tupelo to find such a group. He said he hopes that the play will shed light on an underrepresented population in Oxford.
“I really want as many people to come see it as possible. It’s a great effort, put together we a lot of love, and we’ve had a wonderful time,” King said. “It’s a good opportunity to bring mental health into the conversation and get people in the door to see a well-performed show, if I do say so myself.”
Devna Bose - Journalism 377 