JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Kathleen Coudle-King will present a dramatic reading of excerpts from her play “Retail Therapy: 700 years of mental health care” on Thursday, May 16th at 7 p.m at the Jamestown Arts Center.
The play spotlights the various attitudes toward mental illness over the centuries and the treatments. In this presentation, Kathleen will share a monologue from the point of view of Zelda Fitzgerald (F. Scott Fitzgerald’s wife) and a letter written by Helen Keller, both of which are in the play. In addition, the playwright will share portions of her new play, “Whispers on the Wind,” which explores the earliest years of the Jamestown State Hospital. Question and answer session will follow.
Kathleen received an American Recovery grant from the NEA through the North Dakota Council on the Arts to research “Retail Therapy . . .” and a NDCA Fellowship to research and develop “Whispers on the Wind.” She is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of English at the University of North Dakota. She also serves as the Managing Artistic Director for the Empire Theatre Company in Grand Forks. Cookies and non-alcoholic refreshments will be served.