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Nov 30, 2015

Research Meets Theatre: Dr. Pia Kontos Featured in UofT Magazine

By

Jessica A. Boafo

RSI’s Dr. Pia Kontos is currently being featured in UofT Magazine for her research-based play entitled Cracked: New Light on Dementia, which uses the power of theatre to share important findings about dementia – and the stigma surrounding it – with a mainstream audience.

Cracked: New Light on Dementia follows the story of a woman who is diagnosed with dementia, and the impact this has on herself and those around her. The play’s main point is that people living with dementia can have a meaningful life, and that the true tragedy of the disease is in how we respond to it.

Dr. Kontos collaborated with three academic colleagues – Sherry Dupuis (University of Waterloo), Gail Mitchell and Christine Jonas-Simpson, (both of York University) — to develop the play with the intention to shift how society perceives people with dementia.

Currently, Kontos and her colleagues are raising money for a Canadian tour, which they’d like to launch next year.

Click here to ready the full story on the UofT Magazine webpage.

“Theatre is a very powerful medium. It can challenge assumptions and practices that are taken for granted and open audiences to new possibilities for supporting the humanity of people living with dementia.” - Dr. Pia Kontos