Article Response P2. 3

In Nancy Tobin’s “Tackling Stigma From The Stage”, Tobin talks about how having characters in musical plays suffer from mental illnesses can be very beneficial, because it allows those who suffer from mental illness relate to the story. It also allows those who have never been diagnosed with a mental illness have a clear understanding to how it’s like to deal with such a condition. Plays such, as “Next To Normal” is a very good example with stories about dealing with mental illnesses and the family struggle to cope with the condition. Kitt and Yorkey worked hard on the play “Next To Normal” and ensured that the bipolar symptoms carried by the character Diana was accurately portrayed. Both Kitt and Yorkey have family suffering from a mental illness. Because of this, they believed that it was their responsibility to accurately portray the conditions and symptoms one faces while suffering from a mental illness, in order to ensure that people without the disease of a clear picture and understanding of the effects it may have. There was a young boy, around his late teens, that has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder three months before seeing the play. At the time he wasn’t able to explain to his friends what it exactly was, or what it was like to deal with the condition. It was very emotional for him, because he felt like he was really able to relate to the characters in the play because they were able to capture everything he was going through. Alice Ripley, the actress that portrays Dianna Goodman, also has family dealing with a similar disorder. She says that she is glad that she is portraying a character that is not silent about her condition, and is, instead, speaking out about it and trying to deal with it. The main point about this article is that it is important to let people know that these situations are very real and they can happen to anyone. It does not matter where or how you live, anyone can be suffering from bipolar disorder. Some people are too afraid to speak out because they believe that it is not something anyone should bring up, because it almost feels taboo even speaking about it. The beauty about plays that reveal situations such as this is that it allows those who have been suffering with a disorder have something to relate to and not feel ashamed when trying to deal with the situations.

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