Need help with a play

I am planning on writing a play about mental illness and its effects on the individual units of a family. I want to analyze theater that addresses similar ideas of mental illness or just mental illness in general so I have an idea on how to write about this taboo subject. I KNOW NEXT TO NORMAL IS GREAT, but I'm looking for straight plays. I don't have have the musical capability to write something like that ?? so far I have proof by David auburn, Equus by Peter Shaffer, the glass menagerie by Tennessee Williams, and a streetcar named desire by Tennessee Williams. This is a very personal subject to me and I want to make this piece really good so thank you in advance. Also, just want to say all of you give me life. i Look at these forums every moment of the day and am very appreciative of all of you. Alright then. GRACIAS ??

Updated On: 11/25/15 at 03:19 PM

I think it's questionable whether MENAGERIE or STREETCAR is about mental illness per se. Yes, Blanche is sent off to a sanitarium, but that is mostly to silence her claim that she was raped by Stanley. Despite Williams' fame for writing neurotic women, he was actually concerned with the plight of women in a world that confined them to rigid roles as sweethearts, wives and mothers. Are his characters sometimes agitated? Sure, but no wonder! See SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER for another example of a female character who is accused of being mentally ill when she is merely telling the truth.

I don't mean this post to be negative; I just think seeing those plays in terms of mental illness is misleading. It sounds like you might be better off just writing what you know. Don't worry whether every scene you write will end up in the final version of the play. Write a number of scenes, then reread them to see what you've got. (You've certainly set yourself a big challenge for a first play.)

Updated On: 11/25/15 at 03:30 PM

I was just looking at ways to right mental illness, and I'll definitely use a lot of my experience I just wanted to get ideas from other playwrights to see how they do it. I picked up the Tennessee Williams books cuz I looked up plays about mental illness and those showed up :) . again, thanks for all the help. I'm also documenting the process and I needed some resources from other plays. That's why I'm reading all these. It's a school project but I wanted to do it before I was assigned this thing so im doing it with my heart but also have to analyze some things cuz school

Double post.

Updated On: 11/25/15 at 03:42 PM

Thanks so much Charley kringas Inc :). Do you have any specific books of his you would recommend I'd read?

"Anthropologist On Mars" would be a good place to start, as it spends a good amount of time dealing with how the people he interviews and discusses manage their lives around his subjects. He is, of course, out of date (and dead) but his writing style is really entertaining and he has a great deal of passion and compassion for the afflicted in his books. "Anthropologist" also features a long segment on Temple Grandin, who is herself a totally fascinating person.

edit: here, in full, is Sacks's essay on Temple Grandin, which covers a lot of ground on her life and obstacles as a person with autism: http://harrisocac.pbworks.com/f/Sacks_Anthropologist_Mars.pdf

Note, too, that if you're going to be telling a story about mental illness, don't write it as a sideshow unless you're making a very particular and necessary political point. There've been many, many plays in which mentally ill people are bandied about as freaks for the audience to gawk at (including several in your first post), or to machinate the plot. I'd argue that now is the time to be writing plays that are not just compassionate but give mentally ill people agency over their own stories. They are not wards of fiction.

Updated On: 11/25/15 at 04:14 PM

"Curious Incident..." is also stunning, if also about autism. There's rush available if you're local to NY. If not, you can read the novel.

It's not a stage play, but the Australian sitcom "Please Like Me" created by Josh Thomas is one of the best depictions of mental illness and its effect on families that I've ever seen. The first couple of seasons are on Hulu, and they're really great. The main character's mother is hospitalized after a suicide attempt and the family tries to deal with the fallout. (Did I mention it's a comedy? It really is - but it takes the serious stuff seriously.) Eventually the main character gets into a relationship with a young man with a severe anxiety disorder and it's really interesting how he deals with that.

Im Trying not to portray him as the villain. I've seen plays do that with mental illness but I definitely won't deny the pain in the ass he is. One aspect of my play is the effect on the family and that can definitely include frustration. He's not perfect, but he's not a villain

Mental illness is more the villain :)

"Elling"would seem to be exactly what you are looking for. Fairly recent, too.