Daily Helmsman, 1992

Tomorrow's Hope
Theatre troupe's performance raises awareness of mental health issues.

by JENNIFER KELLEY, Contributing Writer

Our Own Voice Theatre Troupe performed The Wizard of Hope: A Play About Mental Illness: Stigma and Treatment yesterday at Lunchbox Theatre.

This is a brilliant play written by Bill Baker, Khyber Daniel and Randy Youngblood and directed by Bill Baker.

Our Own Voice Theatre Troupe is an ensemble of actors and actresses who create experiences of mental illnesses, the mental health system and the stigma society attaches to those experiences, according to the troupe's program guide.

The mission of the troupe is to provide a vehicle for the mentally ill to tell their stories and present their points of view.

The troupe attempts to get the point across by performing scripts from children's stories.

"Stories help us to come to terms with the illness," Baker said.

The Wizard of Hope was a takeoff of The Wizard of Oz. The play was filled with music, images formed by choreography and sensitivity in the script.

At times the play was humorous and other times sad. Feelings of opression were revealed in the words and facial expressions of the actors.

"We show the mark of oppression," Baker said.

In the play, Dorothy meets the Scarecrow, Tinman and the Lion, all of whom need guidance and comfort.

Dorothy and her new friends follow the dream of meeting the wizard at the end of the yellow brick road.

When they reach the end of the yellow brick road, the gates are closed and the wizard will not help them. At the end of the play, Dorothy finds herself alone and lost with no one to turn to, not evern the Wizard. "Seeking the answers in magic, we often find ourselves disappointed," Baker said.

Baker said the one element the troupe has been missing is the audience.

Baker said the troupe was not satisfied with the ending of the play and he asked the audience to come up with suggestions for a better ending as the actors repeated it.

The most moving part of the play was when everyone in the audience went on stage with the actors, joined hands, and walked in two circles singing "Walking Together to the Wizard of Hope."

Photo by Greg Waddell
Our Own Voice Theatre Troupe performed Thursday in the Lunchbox Theatre Series. The performers, some of which live with varying degrees of mental illnesses, put on a heart-touching and endearing production based on The Wizard of Oz. Bill Baker (pictured front row left) directed the troupe in their performance of The Wizard of Hope.