When The Mind’s Free

A Collaborative Devised Work in Conversation with King Lear

When the Mind’s Free
Produced by Ellen Morbyrne & Real Live Theatre

Direction, Toby Vera Bercovici
Choreography, Annelise Nielsen Costume Design, Mikayla Reid
Sound Design, Samuel V. Perry Lighting Design, Ezekiel Baskin (MA), Dave Stoughton (OH)

Performed July & August 2024 at The Shea Theatre in Turners Falls, as well as the Northampton Senior Center, the Lathrop Retirement Community, and Day Brook Village Senior Living, and September 2024 at Cleveland State University.

Film coming September 2025. Stage version available for touring. Each performance followed by a moderated community conversation.

"There is a desperate need to increase the representation of those living with Alzheimer's and caregivers in media and pieces like this; this disease continues to impact more families and we need art pieces to help the broader public understand this disease."

- Meghan Lemay, Alzheimer's Association, Regional Manager

This piece lifts language, ideas, and story from Shakespeare’s King Lear and places them in a contemporary context, that of a lesbian family dealing with the early onset Alzheimer’s of the matriarch and the opioid addiction of the youngest daughter. The language in the piece is mainly contemporary and has emerged out of improvisations outlined and shaped by the director and performed by the ensemble, as well as in consultation with memory care organizations, caretakers, families, and individuals dealing with memory loss. In When the Mind’s Free, the epic arc of King Lear is condensed into one day in the life of this family. Scenes of caregiving, some of which blossom into imaginative play, others of which devolve into frustration and tears, are interspersed with dances which take the audience outside of that repetitive reality, into the inner thoughts and emotions of the characters.

We are guided in our work not only by our study of the text of King Lear, but also by these big questions: What does it mean to have accurate memories, and why do we need them? Separated from our memories, who are we? Can we maintain intimate relationships without shared memories? How can the Buddhist principle of non-attachment help us in caring for those with memory loss and those who suffer from addiction? And finally, how do we bring levity and light into our darkest hours? 

When The Mind's Free is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of When The Mind's Free must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Contributions at this time will go toward the editing of our When the Mind’s Free film, a rough clip of which is below: