Butler Hospital and Gateway Healthcare are co-sponsoring the Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre’s production of “4:48 Psychosis,” a play by the late British author Sarah Kane about her personal struggle with clinical depression.
Billed as a “powerful, illuminating window” into a deeply troubled psyche, the play can be harrowing in its intensity, critics have said; Kane hanged herself in a hospital, at the age of 28, before it was ever staged.
The Gamm performance stars Casey Seymour Kim, a resident actor in the company, as the nameless “Woman,” and Tom Gleadow as her doctor.
Artistic Director Tony Estrella directed the show, which opened last Thursday and runs through Feb. 7.
In a news release, Gateway President Richard Leclerc said his organization sees firsthand “the need for education and awareness” regarding mental illness, and this play promotes understanding.
Dr. Patricia R. Recupero, president and CEO of Butler, noted that depression affects roughly 14.8 million Americans each year. In
co-sponsoring the play, she said “We hope to help the community better understand how common this illness is, that it is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, and that it is a treatable medical condition.”
In collaboration with the Gamm, clinicians from Butler and Gateway are conducting post-performance discussions on several nights to answer questions about depression, aiming to fight stigma and foster an understanding of the illness.
Four clinicians will participate, two each night: Dr. James Sullivan, associate medical director for inpatient services at Butler; Dr. Linda Carpenter, chief of the hospital’s Mood Disorders Research Program; Dr. Stephen Chabot, medical director at Gateway, and Dr. David Savitzky, Gateway’s associate medical director and medical director of children’s services.
The discussions will be held Jan. 21, Jan. 27 and Feb. 3. Tickets are $24 to $40, with discounts for subscribers, groups of 10 or more, seniors and students. The Gamm is at 172 Exchange St., Pawtucket. For more information, go to www.gammtheatre.org.
