North play puts focus on victim of a stroke
Preparation for Naperville North's first play of the year went beyond the stage.
It went into the hospital.
"Wings," which opens at 7 p.m. today, takes the audience into the life of Emily Stilson, a woman in her 70s who suffers a stroke and struggles to reconnect with reality.
"It really shows you the mindset of the stroke victims and how painful it is for them," said junior Tara Morrow, who plays a nurse. "It really gives you an in-depth look that I think will touch people."
Morrow's father Dwight, a pathologist at Edward Hospital, helped arrange for students to visit the facility to meet the doctors and nurses who care for stroke victims
"I can't even put emphasis on how helpful that has been just to understand what my character is going through, what she's feeling, what is happening to her when she goes to the hospital," said senior Maura Sokol, who plays the lead role of Emily.
"They explained all those medical procedures and also the emotional side of it."
Sokol played an elderly woman last year in the school's production of "The Trip to Bountiful," but this time around she said it's even more of a challenge memorizing a script filled with gibberish, reflective of the trouble stroke victims often have with communication.
"I went through my lines, even the ones that didn't make sense, and figured out what's going on in her mind," Sokol said. "Because stroke patients, even if they have aphasia, they think they're making sense in their mind even if what comes out doesn't."
Director Bill Burghardt, whose own father once suffered a stroke, said it is a play not many high schools will likely tackle, but he sees it as a learning experience for students who otherwise wouldn't be familiar with the subject.
"I find it fascinating, just from a theatrical point of view, because you're watching this world that's foreign and then you get these glimpses of reality ... and just staging that I thought would be interesting," he said.
With an upgraded light and sound system and a video created by senior Rob DeBruin, the cast hopes to give the audience an authentic view of what Emily Stilson is experiencing.
Senior Steta Boarini, who plays Amy the therapist, said seeing people in traumatic situations while visiting Edward gave the cast a sense of the gravity of the show and helped them work together.
"The people at Edward just kept saying this is great for community awareness," she said. "So it gives us all a uniting sense of purpose to portray something people really need to know about."
Edward Hospital representatives will be at all three performances this weekend to answer questions about strokes. Performances are at 7 p.m. today through Saturday at the school, 899 N. Mill St.
The play is 60 minutes long with no intermission. Tickets are $6 for students and seniors and $7 for adults.
If you go
What: "Wings"
When: 7 p.m. today through Saturday
Where: Naperville North, 899 N. Mill St.
Tickets: $7 for adults, $6 for students and seniors
Info: (630) 660-4650
Cast
Emily Stilson: Maura Sokol
Doctor #1: Rob DeBruin
Nurse #1: Nikki Wilson
Doctor #2: Mike Deely
Nurse #2: Tara Morrow
Doctor #3: Dan Wood
Amy the therapist: Steta Boarini
Nurse #3: Lee Sargent
Patient: Ian Williams
Attendant: Nina Ganet
Billy: Max Wright
Mrs. Timmins: Emily Gingold
Mr. Brownstein: Neal McCarthy
Components and Block: Ian Williams, Lee Sargent, Emily Novak, Emily Gingold, Neal McCarthy
Author: Arthur Kopit
Director: Bill Burghardt
Producer: Blair Trygstad