By Maddie Orton
Arts Correspondent
On Thursday, the Healing Arts Program at Atlantic Health System teamed up with the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, Writers Theatre of New Jersey and Premiere Stages at Kean University for a staged reading at Morristown’s Bickford Theatre — Healing Voices OnStage: Caregivers. It was an evening of true, personal stories submitted by spouses, children and medical professionals.
Research from Atlantic Health System and the United Way shows that one in five people identify as caregivers. And that role can take a mental and physical toll. Maria Lupo runs the Healing Arts Program at Atlantic Health System.
“It’s not something that you can just order on the phone. It takes a real live person, and it’s usually a family member, and you’re usually thrown into it without any real experience for it,” she said.
Nearly 50 submissions came from as far as Florida and Louisiana and as close as right here in New Jersey. Twenty-five pieces were selected, and the evening’s one acts came from those stories.
Playwright Vita Morales held onto her husband’s hand tightly as she watched the story of her parents’ late life and passing played out onstage.
Morales said the story poured out of her memory onto the page in record time. She wanted to share what she considers an ultimately uplifting experience.
“Her grandchildren were there, we were there, we were just telling stories about the old days, and then she passed,.” she said. “Whenever I would tell my friends this story, it seemed to be comforting to them that this is possible.”
Producing Artistic Director of Premiere Stages John Wooten and Artistic Director of Writers Theatre of New Jersey John Pietrowski had the task of creating and directing monologues, dialogues and prose from the source material.
“Even professional actors going in and bringing these stories to life and telling their story, the first read-through, it’s difficult for them,” Wooten said.
“I think it’s an important story to tell because often times…we don’t admit to our vulnerabilities. We always seem to think that we’re being asked to be strong, be confident, know what you’re doing. And this stuff does not open itself up to that kind of thing,” Pietrowski said.
Judging from the audience’s laughter and tears, that’s a universal truth people knew all too well.