Senior general studies major with a concentration in theatre Misty Gros, right, plays “Mama”  in “Distracted.” Payton Core, left, played multiple characters including Dr. Zavala, a waitress, a soothing voice and a nurse. 
Larshell Green/The Lion's Roar

The university’s production of “Distracted,” a play about ADHD and mental illness, had a large turn out last week.

“I was very surprised about how great of a turn out we had,” said Bruce Javery II, House Manager for “Distracted.” “Opening night we were filled to the brim. It was impeccable. The energy that they gave the actors with their laughter. It made me feel so great that they were very receptive and open to the play.”

“Distracted” was performed Tuesday through Friday of last week with each production starting at 7:30 p.m. in the Vonnie Borden Theatre at D Vickers Hall. “Distracted” was written by Lisa Loomer and is about the parents of a nine year old kid, Jesse, diagnosed with ADHD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Throughout the play, the parents go on a journey to figure out the best solution for their child. It ranges from psychotherapy, to medication, homeopathy and even a holistic approach. The content of the play grabbed the attention of many audience members.

“I think they took a very difficult subject matter which is ADHD and medication in general and medicating your children, medicating yourself and medicating others,” said Anthony Degioia, a senior sociology major. “They took it and made it palatable for a wider viewer audience without losing the actual gravity of the situation.”

With the harsh content, the University Counseling Center made themselves present after the production each night. They had an informational booth set up with representatives to answer any questions regarding mental health triggered by the play or to set up any appointments if needed.

The cast also had access to Emily Moïse-Fontenot, a counselor from the Counseling Center, who served as an advisory role to aid the actors in the pronunciation of medications and how to properly mimic symptoms to certain disorders. Along with Fontenot’s help, the actors had a lot of their own experiences to bring to the table as well.

“My character is on Prozac and a month ago my physician prescribed me Prozac,” said Angela Griffitt, a senior general studies major with a concentration in theatre who played Sherry. “It wasn’t like, ‘My character is on Prozac, let me get on Prozac.’ My physician was literally like, ‘Let’s try Prozac to help with the depression and stuff.’ It’s weird because I’ve never been on anti-depressants before until this show, and I didn’t mean to, it just ended up being lined up like that.”

Sherry was the neighbor of Jesse and his parents and was the mother of the character Natalie as well. Sherry took the medication approach to treating her and her family’s mental illness and was a strong believer in that method. Her daughter Natalie, played by Harlan Thorpe, took that method as well, but ended up resorting to cutting. 

Thorpe, a freshman marketing major, said that she put a lot of personal experiences into her character as well.

“I have had friends who usually have cut themselves, who have had depression,” said Thorpe. “Just seeing how they’ve went through it just made me feel more for this character, made me understand how they’re feeling and it just hurts. All those emotions I express are true emotions coming from me, from what I visualize from them.”

Along with the intensity of the character development, the production was very tech heavy as well. In addition to the lights and sound, the play featured a lot of videography work with projectors portraying environmental imagery like the television, a sprinkler or the outside of a car window. This, paired with sound, played a key role in the play because it showed how easily the cast was distracted, as well as distracting the audience during the performance.

“I was up in the booth calling all the cues, and it is a little unique because along with lights and sound, I have this video which is whole new to me and everyone else,” said Stage Manager Madison Paulus, a junior business and administration major with a minor in theatre.

This was the second production that Paulus has worked on as a stage manger for the university. She praised the actors and described her process of working with them. 

“These actors have been so miraculously great,” said Paulus. “They came in as a lot of strangers, so I was like a little nervous in the beginning, but they have been so patient with everything we’ve had to go through, so willing to learn and into it. We haven’t had any problems.”

The Vonnie Borden will next host “The Dispute” on Nov. 15 to 18 and will be directed by Anne Liese Fox.

udah Fabré and Misty Gros, play Jesse’s parents and argue over the best way to help their son.  
Austin Cradic/The Lion's Roar

Jordin Jones played Dr. Waller, Jesse’s psychiatrist and  teacher, Mrs. Holly, who first notices that he may have a learning disability.
Larshell Green/The Lion's Roar