Rivendell Theatre Company’s “Spay” will open your eyes Julia W. Rath

“Spay”, written by Madison Fiedler and directed by Hallie Gordon, is currently a work-in-progress by the Rivendell Theatre Company. The virtual developmental reading, which took place on June 16th, is a prelude to the full on-stage production, expected to take place live in Edgewater this coming January. An impactful story about addiction, recovery, and family dynamics, “Spay” is intended to be “a catalyst for action”, according to Brit Cooper Robinson, director of community engagement, who introduced the reading and hosted the Q and A afterwards.

This is a story about people who lead lives of not so quiet desperation. The setting for the show is Williamson, West Virginia, a town of 2,803 people, and one of the centers of the opioid epidemic. “You called me a junkie,” says Noah (Rae Gray) to her older sister Harper (Krystel McNeil). “No, you have a disease,” says Harper. But Noah is even more insulted that her heroin addiction could be considered a disease. Noah, who is still using, wants to raise her own child Benny. But Harper, her older sister, has taken over as his parent and guardian. Noah also wants to continue to have a relationship with her boyfriend Jackson (Keith P. Gallagher), who deals drugs as a source of income. He loves her so much that he is willing to help her become clean, but should she remain involved with a man who continues to push drugs and has hooked so many people on them? Enter the social worker Aubrey (Tara Mallen), whose own daughter died of an overdose and who fleshes out a variety of options for Noah during her intervention in this tragic family situation. The dialogue between the characters begs more questions than it answers: Is addiction genetic? (In other words, is there an addictive personality type?) Is it a brain disorder? Is the stigma of addiction as bad, if not worse, than the habit itself? What is the best way to wean oneself of addictive drugs? Is it even possible to break the habit? And what can motivate a person to do so? All these topics and more are addressed in this timely and thought-provoking 90-minute performance that personalizes the ills and ramifications of drug abuse. The introduction to the show puts it squarely: “Getting hooked is nobody’s plan.” “Everyone assumes they are in control.”

Drug addiction is not just a statistic in the United States today, but it takes a savage toll on thousands of people and their loved ones. “Overdoses have surpassed car crashes and gun violence to become the leading cause of death among those under 55” states one of the placards announcing the show. In addition, opioids don’t just affect individual users: they affect relationships as well, with disastrous ripple effects on children, parents, siblings, neighbors, significant others, and colleagues at work. Perhaps the greatest fear is that a loved one might descend into oblivion; yet it may be difficult, if not impossible, to trace the various telltale signs of the downward spiral. But at least, no one in this show is in denial of the underlying reality of an aberrant and uncomfortable truth. The diversity of perspectives being presented by the different characters can thus serve as a springboard for discussing the effects of addictive drugs on health and social issues and interpersonal relationships that affect men and women alike. In fact, during the Q and A session, Jill Wolf, director of behavioral health services for the Howard Brown Health Center, and Lisa Martinez, professor of sociology at DePaul University and a certified alcohol drug counselor followed up on the story by pointing up the severity of the opioid crisis and by largely focusing on the harm reduction approach to addiction.

Rivendell is a women-focused theatre company, committed to engaging audiences on critical issues of our day. It offers a brick and mortar artistic home for women performing artists to develop their work.

Please stay tuned for further information about when tickets will be made available to the general public for the final version of “Spay” that will be performed live at 5779 N. Ridge Avenue, Chicago.

For more information about this and other shows, please visit Rivendell’s website at: https://rivendelltheatre.org/.