Until death do us art: Tackling health problems in the 2015 Fringe

In sickness and in health, until death do us art. Several artists in this year’s Fringe Festival have turned their illnesses or disabilities into performances for the world to see. Fringe is about taking risks, and these artists hope that theirs raise awareness and let invisible communities be seen.

Jason Rosenberg of Cursed Church Artist Collective turns his medical trials and tribulations into Me First: An Autobiographical Comedy about Dying ($10), coming to the People’s House, 1323 Mifflin Street, September 10-12 and 17-19. It’s a solo biographical theatrical exploration/workshop about his experience with three autoimmune diseases: primary sclerosing cholangitis, autoimmune hepatitis, and ulcerative colitis. (For a trailer of the performance featuring a slice of life for Rosenberg, click here.)

“They’re pretty rare,” he said. “It’s sort of, like, the opposite of winning the genetic lottery.”

Not an Upworthy video

The recent UArts grad, who’s trained in acting and playwriting, was diagnosed at 20. After five years of dealing with his illnesses, he has decided to put his experiences into this show. He hopes to promote advocacy for people with “invisible disabilities” and to reveal how difficult having less physical energy than others and feeling isolated and anxious can be.

He tackles social interactions with those who don’t know how to deal with a sick friend, losing support as one becomes sicker, watching others live a more carefree life, and the difficulties in having a normal love life.

“You talk about things like this, and people want to make you into an Upworthy video or a Lifetime movie,” he said. “You don’t get recognition as full people.”

The show includes vignettes — there’s a sock puppet dealing with teachers and others at school, a trivia show bit, some stand-up, and music. The story is meta — it’s about the show that’s taking place.

“The show breaks down, and the resulting process is a metaphor for the communication process between sick people and well people,” he said. “It’s me trying my hardest to do a comedy and be entertaining, and sickness gets in the way of that.”

Rosenberg loves performing and writing, but he hasn’t written about himself before. He’s aiming to tell his specific story so it resonates universally. It’s definitely terrifying, he said: “I’m trying to push past it for the sake of what I’m trying to accomplish.”

He’s excited, too: “Fringe is the Christmas of the theater season.”

And he’s hopeful — he wants to sign up (at least) 10 organ donors. The “10 for Glenn” honor the additional decade his dad lived after receiving a new liver. Rosenberg’s also donating performance proceeds to two charities that promote research and advocacy for liver disease.

“I’m expecting a lot of people to come from the communities I’m talking about, but I’d like everybody to see it,” he said. What could be better than an evening “about how hard it is to live while you’re kinda dying?”

Other Fringe shows tackling life with disease or disability

Endome ($20) by Holly Bittner, is coming to the Sedgwick Theater, 7137 Germantown Avenue in Mt. Airy, September 11-13. The multimedia memoir dramatizes a woman’s experience living with endometriosis, infusing medical records and surgery reports with memories, songs, and dreams. (Five dollars of every ticket goes toward research.)

Disability: A Comedy ($25) by In Cahoots Theatre is coming to Society Hill Playhouse, 507 S. 8th Street, September 11-19. A quadriplegic puts an ad in the paper looking for love and gets a lot more than he bargained for. A story of overcoming obstacles and seeing people for who they truly are.

Alzheimer’s: The Musical ($20) by Actors International Theatre is coming to the Skinner Studio at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place, 3rd Floor, September 13-20. Broadway’s brightest star, Maurice Green, is tackling his most challenging role: Alzheimer’s. The musical comedy explores what happens when the body is strong, but the mind is fading away.

For more information and the full lineup of this year’s Festival, visit FringeArts online.

At right: Fringe performer Jason Rosenberg faces his hospital alter-ego. Image courtesy of the artist.