Real Live Theatre Presents: When The Mind's Free

Sunday, August 4, 2:00 pm until 3:30 pm
An original dance-theatre piece about a lesbian family navigating early-onset Alzheimer's, in conversation with King Lear

Buy Tickets

RLT premieres our original piece of devised dance-theatre When The Mind’s Free, which follows a contemporary lesbian couple and their adult daughters as they navigate Alzheimer’s disease and addiction, and seek light in their darkest times.

Each performance concludes with a facilitated community cWestern MA Solar Installers - Northeast Solar, Solar Done Right - Solar Contractors Near Me (northeast-solar.com)onversation calling forth the lived experiences of audience members impacted by the themes of the play, providing a safe space where people can feel grief, hope, recovery, and a sense of belonging and community.

When The Mind's Free has been developed over a five-year period of improvisation and in conversation with Shakespeare’s King Lear, as well as in consultation with memory care organizations, caretakers, families, and individuals dealing with memory loss.

*Masks will be required for audiences Sunday, July 28 & Saturday, August 3; masking is optional at all other shows. This play includes Mature Content.*

Directed by: Toby Vera Bercovici

Featuring: Carolyn Goelzer, Myka Plunkett, Annelise Nielsen, Liz Stanton, Linda Tardif

Design & Production Team: Choreography by Annelise Nielsen, Lighting Design by Ezekiel Baskin, Sound Design & Composition by Samuel V. Perry, Costume Design by Mikayla Reid, Stage Management by Nat Solomon, Produced by Ellen Morbyrne for RLT

When The Mind’s Free is supported in part by grants from the Amherst, Greenfield, Hadley, Montague, and South Hadley Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

This production is also supported by a grant from the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation.

The Shea Theater also thanks their sponsors for this world premiere: North East Solar, Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, the Mass Cultural Council, and the MCC-supported Local Cultural Councils of Conway, Greenfield, Montague, and Shelburne.

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors and Underwriters

Australis Aquaculture • Artisan Beverage Cooperative • Benjamin Company • Berkshire Brewing Company • Cohn and Company Real Estate Agency • Community Credit • Common Capital • Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts • Connecticut River Internists • Dean's Beans • Easthampton Savings Bank • FirstLight GDF Suezna • Gill Tavern • Goff Media • Great Falls Harvest • Green River Festival • Greenfield Community College • Greenfield Cooperative Bank • Greenfield Savings Bank • Loot • Massachusetts Cultural Council • Montague Bookmill Montague WebWorks • Northeast Solar • People's Pint • Rainmaker Consulting • The Rendezvous • Solar Store of Greenfield • Stobierski and Connor • Told Video • True North Transit • Turn It Up

Exciting News for A Happening IV: Leviathan

Cloudgaze and Eggtooth Productions are thrilled to announce that we have received a generous grant from the Markham-Nathan Fund for Social Justice to support our 2024 Immersive Arts Festival, “A Happening IV: Leviathan.”

This festival will transform the Shea Theater into an exploration of theme, hosting installations, music, theatrical performances, and movement pieces, featuring the collective contributions of over 30 local artists. Audiences will experience otherworldly environments and narratives inspired by folklore, fairy tales, horror motifs, American literature, and the mythos of the Old Testament, all of which delve into the central question guiding the festival: "What does it mean to encounter something greater than yourself and to be consumed by it?" Through this theme, we explore how a community reemerges and imagines itself after destruction and transformation.

With the support of the Markham-Nathan Fund, we are excited to create an event that complicates perspectives and fosters meaningful dialogue. We are grateful for this partnership and for the work of the Markham-Nathan Fund for Social Justice.

Thanks to the Mass Cultural Council for their vital support this year.We'd also like to thank the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts for their support in the form of a Flexible Funding grant. We couldn't do this work without you!