Attic Chamber Theatre, in partnership with Fox Valley Memory Project, is excited to present Painting Churches from June 21 through June 29, 2018. A goal of Attic Chamber Theatre is to present entertaining and thought-provoking plays focusing on important social issues. In 2018, Attic has selected dementia as the important health and social concern to feature.
Alzheimer’sDisease, the most common disease causing dementia, affects 110,000 persons in Wisconsin. That number is expected to increase 18% by 2025. In addition to the high cost of direct dementia care is the hidden cost to caregivers due to stress, depression and other health complications.
Painting Churches, by Tina Howe, portrays the significant effects of dementia on a family living in Massachusetts. This three person play depicts the relationship between an adult daughter and her aging parents as they prepare to move from their family home to a cottage in Cape Cod. Gardner, portrayed by Gary Zurbachen, is the father experiencing memory loss; Fanny, played by Nancy Ernst, is the stressed wife and caregiver; Mags, played by Mary Mageria, is their adult daughter who comes to visit and is unaware of the severity of her father’s dementia.
Fox Valley Memory Project is a local nonprofit agency striving to build a supportive dementia-friendly community via programs and services to those living with dementia along with their care-partners. Staff and volunteers from Fox Valley Memory Project will be available before each performance and during intermission to share information and resources with the audience.
Opening night is Thursday, June 21 at 7:00 p.m. and the play runs through Friday June 29. Performances are held at the Lucia Baehman Theatre in the Communication Arts Center of UW- Fox Valley in Menasha. A Talk-Back will be held after the June 24 matinee performance where the actors and Lynn Ann Clausing Rusch of Fox Valley Memory Project interact with the audience and answer questions.
Tickets for Painting Churches can be purchased by visiting http://attictheatreinc.com/tickets/
