Yesterday I saw “The Lie of the Mind” and I had no idea what the show was about. I opened the program and one of the notes was about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and I was so interested because we are studying mood and personality disorders in my psych class these past few weeks and we just talked about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It was so so so so interesting to be learning very statistically about the disorder and then to see it dealt with on stage. The way that the actors dealt with the disorder really helped me get a glimpse into the mind of someone with the disorder and what it was really like for those around them to deal with. It was also so interesting to think about that point of view from a playwrights point of view and the bravery to write about a disease that way and to decide to tackle it like that. Also the real research and preparation involved to prepare a character and a world like that. There was a very specific moment with Ian Greers that made everything click and I of course I can’t remember now but it jumpstarted my discoveries throughout the entire piece.
Seeing the disease portrayed through different actors also made all of these others defense mechanisms we had been learning about in class really click for me. My teacher is always telling us that our exams aren’t about us relaying the information to her, but about applying the information to different situations and scenarios. I had trouble with that, but seeing it through this different outlet sort of pulled the two sides of my brain together and I really started to comprehend it all. Last night after the show I went back to look at my notes and they really did make so much more sense. It was so cool. I think one of the most exciting things about theatre and life in general really is that there is always so much to learn. SO MUCH. And I need stop limiting my experiences in theatre to how “good” or “bad” the actors are acting or how new and avant garde the director’s vision is or even how intricate the costumes are or something like that. I’m really discovering how important experiencing new things are in life and activating different parts of ourselves and of our brains to try to better understand the things we thought we already knew. Its really amazing. As the indigo girls say, “The hardest to learn was the least complicated”.
