This play is not about Alzheimer’s.

Read more about Unshelved and get your tickets here.

This play is not about Alzheimer’s.

Oh, I know that Alzheimer’s disease features prominently in the articles and other promotions about the play. I know that some of the talk-backs after the shows will include guest speakers from groups that work with Alzheimer’s patients and caregivers.

I know that the struggles and pain of dealing with Alzheimer’s disease is woven into the fabric of the play. I am not minimizing the importance of this. Alzheimer’s is a critical, central element of Unshelved.

Still, ultimately, the play is not about Alzheimer’s.

Unshelved is about family. It is about how we shape our own identity, and about how those we love shape who we become, whether we will or no. It is about how we separate from those we love, and how we bind ourselves to them.

Alzheimer’s is the problem, the crisis, the rip in the fabric of this family. Unshelved asks us: how present are we in the lives of those we love? How much have we hidden from those closest to us? How much have we hidden from ourselves?

Alzheimer’s disease is a critical element in Unshelved, but it is the human response to this challenge that engages us. It is about the living through the pain with our tears and laughter. It is about our lives, not about our disease.