Lisa Suarez’s Revived Play Sheds Light on Alzheimer’s Disease
September 15, 2020 - San Antonio
Living with Alzheimer’s. Lisa Suarez (left) and Pamela Dean Kenny star in the revival of I’ll Remember For You, a bilingual play about a daughter’s experience as the primary caregiver for her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Photo: Fadela Castro.
By Jade Esteban Estrada - Arts Writer, San Antonio Sentinel
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- This weekend, Jump-Start Performance Co. will present a bilingual play about a daughter's experience as the primary caregiver for her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease
- Alzheimer’s is a common type of dementia that involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory and language
Even in the age of mental health awareness, safe spaces to hear stories about people affected by progressive neurodegenerative conditions are in short supply. It’s for this reason Jump-Start Performance Co. deserves a gold star for reviving I’ll Remember For You, a bilingual play about a daughter’s experience as the primary caregiver for her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. The show will be presented September 18-20 via Zoom.
Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory and language. As a progressive disease, it begins with a person experiencing memory loss and can potentially lead to an inability to carry on conversations or respond to the environment.
A little over ten years ago, playwright Lisa Suarez was inspired to write a play in honor of her mother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s. In 2010, she premiered the piece on the Jump-Start stage. Two years later, it was produced again.
In 2012, Deborah Martin of the San Antonio Express-News described the play as “a surprisingly funny, unsentimental, moving look at what it’s like to take care of someone whose mind sometimes skips around in time.”
Pamela Dean Kenny, who performed in the first revival, will once again join Suarez for this ten-year-anniversary production, and Linda Cuellar will be a special guest. This time around, former Jump-Start guest artist Samuel Valdez is directing. The actors and crew will work from remote locations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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For those who are new to theatre on the Zoom platform, here’s how it works: Once a ticket has been purchased online, a link and password with show time information will be emailed to the patron.
With the term “underlying conditions” at the forefront of virtually every coronavirus update, Suarez’s play seems more relevant than ever. It’s also an opportunity to remind those who have been affected by Alzheimer’s that they are not alone.
IF YOU GO:
Show times:
Friday, September 18, 2020 8 p.m.
Saturday, September 19, 2020 8 p.m.
Sunday, September 20, 2020 3 p.m.
Admission is on a choose-what-you-pay sliding scale: $0, $5, $10, $15, or $20
Tickets are available at Jump-Start’s website and on their Facebook page. A Zoom link and password will be emailed after the purchase is complete.
Further information: 210-227-JUMP (5867)
Jade Esteban Estrada is an arts writer at the San Antonio Sentinel, where he covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached at jade@sasentinel.com.