#alieofthemind

First preview

87 A Lie of the Mind by Sam Shepard dir Nic Dimond for Strawdog Theatre. All Shepard, all the time. But no blond hair for this one. Nor a beard. No this time I played Mike, the “normal” brother who returns home after his sister, Beth (Shannon Hoag), is brutally assaulted by her husband, Jake (Jamie Vann). Mike accompanies Beth to their childhood home, where their parents, Baylor (Jim Poole) and Meg (Laurie Larson) still live. Jake, is hiding out at with his mom, Lorraine (Janet Ulrich Brooks), and his sister, Sally (Anita Deely). He sends his brother, Frankie (John Henry Roberts), to see if Beth is still alive, and Frankie “accidentally” gets shot in the leg by Baylor and essentially taken prisoner, and Beth, suffering from brain damage, becomes obsessed with him as his wound becomes infected. I had been aware of this play for most of my life. I have a very distinct memory of reading the review of the NYC debut in the Sun-Times when I was 14, I think I registered it because Aidan Quinn was in the production and I had just seen him in the movie Reckless, with Darryl Hannah. I also hung lights as part of my practicum for Stagecraft Class Freshman year in college, in a production directed by Sandi Zielinski. In our production, Mike started out in a suit and tie and finally winds up in layers and layers of winter hunting gear. Aly Amidei designed the set and it was this fragmented stage where the pieces didn’t quite fit together. We also had live, unscored, accompaniment to the show. This is the show that asks some tough questions like, where are you going to find half of a dead deer? #retrospective #2007 #alieofthemind #samshepard #nicdimond #strawdogtheatre #kittycatsweatshirt (at Strawdog Theatre Company) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7OUPv6pABm/?igshid=pyy9l821goea

Mourning the loss of who I consider to be the quintessential American playwright. Sam Shepards characters were voices for me as a younger man that said what I couldn't, that said it more eloquently and succinctly. Thank you so much Sam. #ripsamshepard #samshepard #playwright #theatre #alieofthemind

When in doubt, always Shepard! #theatre #londinium #southwarkplayhouse #alieofthemind