ok i’ve been focusing on some comedy and puppetry shows right now, but this came across my googles … AN LKS ASSOCIATION! i plan on researching harder and i believe they are in Spain, but i am totally fine collaborating with Spain. check out their site www.landaukleffner.org
I applied for an artsy thing today because I need a space, some money, and a kick in the butt to do a new brain show. I had to send in a work sample for the application so I took some bits from my show “murder, hope”. That’s the first show I did that was about about brain disorders, neuroplasticity, Batman, and murder ballads. This is the show that I toured on the Canadian Fringe circuit but this clip is from my run at the great, Annex Theatre in Seattle. I thought I’d post it here as well since, y’know I mention it from time to time. These are just a few selections from the show, and its mostly movement stuff (none of the murder ballads, sorry) please to enjoy!
Quick bit about “murder, hope” so you don’t have to go back searching, from my friends (and awesome producer) at http://www.infinityliveproductions.com/html/becky_poole.html
Written and performed by Becky Poole and directed by Carrie Morris, “murder, hope” is the story of one family’s experience with the unimaginably rare and heartbreaking brain disorder, Landau-Kleffner Syndrome. It is a disorienting journey fueled by the creator’s obsessions with superhero archetypes, the burgeoning frontier of Neuroplasticity research, and soul-chilling Appalachian murder ballads. It is a charged and curious show that seeks to make sense of the senseless.
In 2006 Becky Poole’s nephew, Devin, was diagnosed with Landau Kleffner Syndrome, a highly rare childhood neurological disorder characterized by an unusual combination of epilepsy and aphasia. This condition, which robs children of their ability to use and understand language, has been diagnosed in fewer than 10 individuals per year since it was first discovered in 1957. Becky’s urge to make sense of this fascinating and mysterious turn of fate led her to seek comfort and explanation from many sources, and she defended herself against this tragedy by embracing and dissecting Batman mythology, studying contemporary and groundbreaking research in new fields of neurology, and writing eerie and vengeful folk songs to isolate and neutralize her pain. The products of these fascinations have been synthesized in ‘murder, hope’, a one-woman multi-genre performance piece in which the perplexing challenges of balance and communication are made real for audience and performer alike.
Short story is I had to get an office day job for awhile and… I GOT to, take a brain class (The Human Brain! Got an A. Brushing my shoulders off.), do a bunch of shows one of which is my new day job (finally! squee!) and a bunch of other excuses that took my away from this blog but not from my interest in brain stuffs. I will be updating soon with cool stuff I’ve been looking at and getting to see since my last post. For now, I want to make sure I post this really great pamphlet on LKS and what to expect/know etc. It is some of the most info I’ve seen in one spot and goes beyond just a definition. Thanks, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust for compiling this pdf.
landau_kleffner_abilities_families
To more communicating soon and often,
Becky
