The Play's the Thing

Goodness, it's been over a week and I haven't posted. Lots has happened - life seems to be on an uphill swing. I actually had to consult my iphone calendar to see what-all I've been up to.

The biggest event of the week for me was yesterday's play reading at [Inside] the Ford - some fantastic actors read the first act of the play I am writing, DSM-V, about my experience with bipolar disorder. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was way nervous about my parents seeing what was an exaggerated but still slightly accurate portrayal of actual events.

It was definitely uncomfortable, sitting in the (back of the) theater surrounded by people, some of whom I knew well and some I did not know at all, listening to my words. It was uncomfortable sitting a few rows behind my parents as some lines that actually came out of my dad's mouth verbatim were read by the most unsympathetic character. It was uncomfortable...but in a good way.

And it made my mom cry. There was actually one really cool moment where she and I were hugging each other and she said "it was just so real," and I said, "yes, but the difference is that I can write about it now." One of my best friends who was with me in Europe when I was in the midst of my psychotic break was also in the audience, and he sent me a note yesterday telling me he's glad I wrote it. And so am I.