‘Retail Therapy: 700 years of mental health “care”’ to play May 11-21 at Empire Arts Center

A new play written and directed by UND’s Kathy Coudle-King, associate teaching professor of English, will be performed at the Empire Arts Center from May 11 to 21: “Retail Therapy: 700 years of mental health ‘care.’”

Produced by Theatre without Walls, LLC, four actors will play a variety of historical figures: Walter Criswell, Hannah Diers, Ashley Fredricksen and Nicole Quam.

This immersive piece will be presented May 11-13 and 17-19 at 7:30 p.m.; shows on Sunday, May 14 and 21, will start at 2 p.m. (Please bring headphones or earbuds, if possible). Running time is approximately 90 minutes. There will also be a post-show discussion.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors, students, active military and veterans (with ID). Available seats will be sold 30 minutes prior to curtain, but those interested in making reservations can call 701.746.5500 or visit the Empire Arts Center website to make reservations.

About “Retail Therapy”

Shame, stigma, silence.

These are three words that come to Kathy Coudle-King’s mind when she reflects on the history of mental health care. Over the course of two years, supported by an American Recovery grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, she researched the history of mental health, including the early days of the North Dakota State Hospital, in Jamestown, for her new play. This immersive “theatre installation” premieres at the Empire Arts Center May 11-21, just in time for Mental Health Awareness Month.

“It’s a pretty dark topic, but I’ve woven it through with gallows’ humor,” said Coudle-King. “If we are going to destigmatize mental health issues, we must be able to discuss them. Humor can go a long way in diffusing the tension surrounding this touchy topic.

“We never laugh at the patient, of course, but we do poke fun at some of the ridiculous theories and remedies doctors have proposed over the years. Take the gyrating chair, for example: ‘Spin the patient enough and they’ll not only become physically ill but be cured of their mental illness;’ or the ‘drowning therapy’: blindfold the patient and drop them through a trap door into freezing water.”

Produced by Theatre without Walls, LLC, the play takes audiences through seven centuries during which they are visited by historical figures such as Joan of Arc, Virginia Woolf, Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald and Helen Keller.

The long, dark history of mental health care is brought to life through the doctors who advocated for their therapies: Benjamin Rush, S. Weir Mitchell, Egaz Moniz, Walter Freeman, Sigmund Freud and others – as well as two chimpanzees and former lab animals who help narrate the history.

This production was made possible by an American Recovery Grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, through the National Endowment for the Arts, a Special Projects Grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, as well as a donation from Valley Senior Living.

Production Team:

• Written and directed by Kathy Coudle-King
• Actors: Walter Criswell, Hannah Diers, Ashley Fredricksen and Nicole Quam
• Lights and Video Creation: David Kuznicki
• Sound Design: Owen Skroch
• Costume Design: Caiden Kirby-Gable
• Set Design: Eric Castle, Hannah Lindholm, Heidi Lamb-Castle and Caiden Kirby-Gable
• Voice-over Actors: Becca Cruger, Kim Forness Wilson, Ruby Lamb-Castle, Meghan Perry, Julia Harris, Hannah Diers, Kate Preszler and Chris Gable.
• Stage Manager: Jace Erickson

Trigger Warning: Mental health issues and suicide are depicted. A fog machine is briefly used.