MOURNING THE LIVING Examines the Impact of Alzheimer's at Thespis Theater Festival

The Thespis Theater Festival will present the world premiere of Mickele Hogan's first full-length play, "Mourning the Living," which explores the struggle of caring for a loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

Ms. Hogan, who is also an actor and director, graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts in May 2014. She is a founding member of The Joust Theatre Company based in New York.

The playwright's inspiration came from her experience at a summer job as a caregiver with Home Instead Senior Care, an organization that provides compassionate and reliable home care services to keep seniors safe and independent in their homes. The company is sponsoring the play because of its accurate depiction of the impact Alzheimer's has on a person's family, friends and caregiver.

The play will be presented at 9 p.m. on Aug. 11; 1 p.m. on Aug. 13 and 6 p.m. on Aug. 14 at the Hudson Guild Theater, 441 West 26th Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues. Tickets are $18 and can be obtained through http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2551912. It is directed by Alan Souza, who has directed both plays and musicals for Drury Lane/Chicago, The Laguna Playhouse, and Texas Shakespeare Festivals, among others.

"Mourning the Living" is the story of a high school teacher, Kay (Jennifer Rau*), who is falling in love with the school's principal, Jerry (Chris Bolan*), even though she is still living with her husband David (Andrew Rothenberg*), who has Alzheimer's disease. Kay hasn't told Jerry about her husband, but he finds out when he makes an unexpected visit to her home.

David's caregiver Marie (Mary Leggio) does what she can to make life easier for both Kay and David, but she doesn't approve of Kay's romantic interest in Jerry.

"I grieve for him, even though he is right in front of me. Attending the same funeral over and over again. He is no longer my husband," Kay says to Jerry. Jerry wants to get to know David, but during a disastrous dinner, David accuses him of stealing from him, indicating that despite his confused state, he knows he is losing Kay to another man. Jerry urges Kay to put David in a nursing home, something she refuses to do.

Through a series of flashbacks, Hogan depicts the progression of the disease. In a chance encounter with one of Kay's students, Catherine (Caroline Aimetti*), the audience learns that Kay had a daughter who died as an infant and because of David's illness, she decided not to have any more children.

The play takes an unexpected turn when David suddenly begins to recall things from his past and his short-term memory comes back as well. But sadly, David slips back into his own world, leaving Kay once again bereft.

"The stories I heard working as a caregiver for Home Instead made me realize how little we know about the devastating impact of Alzheimer's," said Hogan. "It is my hope that 'Mourning the Living' will shed light on how this disease ravages the mind, body and soul and its profound impact on everyone surrounding a loved one suffering from the disease."

The Thespis Theater Festival runs from July 11th through October 12th at the Hudson Guild Theater. The Festival's goal is to give playwrights, directors and actors a chance to showcase their work and compete for cash prizes for best musical, best play, best actor and actress, best director and best original play. The Festival is affordable with ticket prices at $18.

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