WAIMEA — Kahilu Theatre presents a brand-new, one-woman play written and performed by Joanna Lipari.
“Activities of Daily Living” will be performed in the Mike Luce Studio over two days at the Kahilu Theatre.
The first show is 7 p.m. Jan. 13 followed by 2 p.m. Jan. 14.
The show begins when an older woman receives her Medicare card in the mail with a special senior citizen “invisibility cloak,” and she decides to fight back. Incorporating innovative animation, it uses hilarious poignant stories to weave together the threads of a life lived – and one that is hardly invisible.
Directed by Beth Dunnington, Lipari is able to portray the memorable moments that make up a life while maintaining an underlying commentary about how our society treats the elderly.
The play, ADL, consists of 16 stories, which cover everything from chasing ghosts, to getting lost in a parking garage, from finding love, to figuring out antiquated technologies, Lipari spins these stories into one cohesive (and exciting) life’s story.
“We are not invisible,” she said. “We are here. And as our body ages, maybe we will move slower… maybe some of us might not even be that good with our ADLs. But an old-age body should not be a cultural burqa.”
Lipari began her acting career in New York City, studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse with famed acting teacher, Sanford Meisner. She is a founding member, along with Mary Steenburgen and Pam Kareman, of the improvisational theatre group, The Cracked Tokens, which toured theaters on the East Coast before taking up residence at the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City.
She appeared off Broadway and in regional theatre for several years before coming to Los Angeles as part of the cast of General Hospital. She is a familiar face to TV viewers for her work over the past 40 years on such shows as “Rockford Files,” “Head of the Class,” “Days and Nights of Molly Dodd,” “China Beach,” “The Practice,” “Chicago Hope,” “Raising the Bar” and the recurring role of The Director on NBC’s “Persons Unknown.” Joanna’s film credits include “Honeymoon in Vegas,” “JoJo Dancer,” “Your Life is Calling” with Richard Pryor, and more.
Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at kahilutheatre.org, 885-6868 or at the Kahilu Theatre Box Office located at 67-1186 Lindsey Road in Waimea.