Actress’ disease unexpectedly in the spotlight

WANT TO GO?

What: "Master Class," a production of the Human Race Theatre Company focusing on the life of opera diva Maria Callas.

Where: The Loft Theater, 126 N. Main St., Dayton

When: Through June 26. Note that the 7 p.m. performances on Sundays have been cancelled.

Tickets: (937) 228-3630 or visit ticketcenterstage.com

Signs have now been been placed in three locations in the Loft Theater lobby addressing Mierka Girkin’s MS and accomodations made to assist her.

WHAT IS MS?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.

What are some of the symptoms of MS?

Learn more about MS: www.nationalmssociety.org

Information about MS is now found in the Loft Theater lobby and in program inserts. They address Mierka Girkin’s illness and accomodations made to assist her. Here’s what they say:

LINES CAN BE A CHALLENGE FOR ANY SHOW

Even for seasoned professionals, remembering lines can be a challenge.

With the Tony awards in the news, last Sunday’s edition of “CBS Sunday Morning” featured a segment entitled “What’s My Line: Actors on Memorization.” One of those interviewed was Bartlett Sher, director of “Fiddler on the Roof.” “Learning your lines is like the first step to moving into the mind of the character,” Sher said. “So the process of learning the lines is the process of transformation. It’s the process of becoming someone else.”

But Sher also confided one of Broadway’s secrets: some well-known actors never learn their lines. Linda Mannarino of Oakwood can attest to that. She and her husband recently saw Al Pacino in David Mamet’s “China Doll” on Broadway.

“He kept forgetting his lines and was always reading them from some kind of teleprompter,” she said. “He was on the telephone for most of the play. We figured someone on the other end of the phone was telling him what to say.”

When I recently interviewed Mierka Girten about her role as opera legend Maria Callas in the Human Race Theatre Company's production of "Master Class," the Wright State graduate spoke candidly about her 25-year battle with multiple sclerosis and its physical challenges.

But there was one challenge neither she nor the Human Race anticipated.

Just before the play was to open, it became clear Girten was often blanking when it came to delivering her lines.

The result: many theater patrons who’ve seen the play since its opening have watched its star often rely on note cards to deliver some of her lines.

In some scenes the notes are disguised and integrated into the classroom environment, at other times they’re openly visible.

Among the common symptoms of MS are “cognitive changes including the ability to learn and remember information,” according to the National MS Society’s website.

Since the production’s debut, theater-goers have sharing their thoughts and feedback with us, each other and the theater company. The Human Race has made a few changes and has taken additional steps to educate theater-goers about the illness and its effects and what to expect on stage.

We share some of the discussion around the production as well as how the theater company has responded.

Audience members share their reactions

Some say they believe a professional theater troupe should not under any circumstances permit an actor who can’t remember lines to take the stage.

“A good performance can transport me to another world, but that illusion is broken when I see an actor reading his or her lines,” says Martha Moody Jacobs, who saw the production on opening night. Jacobs, who lives in Washington Twp., said the show made her uncomfortable.

But Susie Weaver of Dayton, who saw the show Tuesday night, said she’d rather see this actress with notes than anyone else without them.

“She was excellent and much more believable in the role than when we saw Faye Dunaway play Maria Callas,” said Weaver, an opera buff.

Other audience members said they weren’t bothered at all by the notes and were inspired by Girten’s spunk and perseverance.

Mike Goldstein of Clayton attended the show’s final dress rehearsal, a Pay-What-You-Can fundraiser for The Food Bank and AIDS Resource Center Ohio. “Our reaction was surprise that the lead actress at that late point was using note cards and was hesitant in her delivery,” said Goldstein, who has been involved in community theater.

Goldstein was not aware of the actress’ illness while watching the show. He said the reliance on notes affected the character’s believability, in his opinion. “In those scenes, she didn’t come across as forceful and dynamic as the play intended her to be,” he said. “The whole idea of this production is to show this dynamic diva who is at the top of her profession. But not being able to achieve that forcefulness made the character less understandable.”

But when Goldstein eventually learned Girten has MS a couple of days after the performance, he said it softened his reaction.

"It shifted my thoughts from the actress to those who cast her," he said. "I began wondering whether they were aware of the situation before they cast her in that leading role. How much did they know about her capabilities? And if she knew this could be a problem, is it appropriate for her to bow out of leading roles?"

The expected and the unexpected

We talked to Kevin Moore, producing artistic director at the Human Race, about what the theater company was expecting and had planned for as well as the unexpected.

No one thought that memorizing lines would become a major issue, including the actress who is required to be on stage and talking for two hours straight.

“She was exceptional at the audition; she came in and killed it,” Moore said. “She is an accomplished actress and received rave reviews in a play last March.”

They did know Girten’s illness would require special accommodations, Moore explained. She’d told them, for example, that she’d have to have water on stage because of medications that cause her mouth to be dry.

Other physical issues were discussed in advance as well. “My MS is now progressing, and I’ve lost a lot of strength and energy over the years,” Girten told me in our original interview. She said directors such as Scott Stoney, who directed “Master Class,” have helped her work through challenges. “I get fatigued, have headaches, sometimes I have tremors and shake uncontrollably. When something goes wrong, I have to pretend it’s not happening or work it into the scene or situation on stage.”

Moore said they knew from the start that there could potentially be struggles with balance.

“We made sure there were places that she could lean on,” he said. “That’s why we used a music stand. We learned early on that because of Mierka’s energy level, we couldn’t have long rehearsals, so we shortened them. And we cancelled the second Sunday performance at 7 p.m.”

What they didn’t anticipate, Moore said, was that there could be learning and memory issues.

“Mierka did not mention memory loss, and she’s done a lot of theater,” he said. “She’s a well-respected actress and this memory thing had never come up. I don’t think she expected to struggle with the lines because she hadn’t had that problem in the past.”

At rehearsals, Moore said, the actress would sometimes know her lines but at other times they could be fleeting. “There might be a moment on stage, for example, where she could feel her arm start to shake and could control the arm but lost the words,” he said. “And there were words she sometimes had trouble saying. The weekend before we opened, she had a sudden realization. She said ‘I don’t know if I’m going to get there.’”

‘She has a lot of courage’

Susan Katz of Washington Twp. can relate. She was diagnosed with MS 14 years ago and calls it a “squirrelly” disease that impacts each individual differently. Unlike Girten, Katz does not have Relapsive Remitting MS and has never had a cognitive problem.

“But memory loss is definitely a symptom for many people,” she explained. “She could be perfect for a day or two and then not remember her lines. If she’s tired or stressed, it can be a problem. She has a lot of courage to be out there.”

Ironically, courage is a trait that Maria Callas talks about on stage when she is addressing her “master class” students. She uses the German word — “mut.”

Human Race works to find a solution

Once the challenges became clear, various options were considered.

The company, Moore said, rarely hires understudies because of the additional expense.

One option discussed was an ear prompter, a little device that works like a hearing aid and allows another person off stage to feed lines to the actor. “It’s tough to use and Mierka had never used one,” Moore said. “So we didn’t think that would work.”

Finally the decision was made to create note cards to use on stage. The hope was eventually the actress might not need them, so no announcement was made to the audience initially.

“I didn’t want to create more stress for her, that would just make it harder,” Moore said. “And some nights ran more smoothly than others. Last Sunday, she had the cards in hand but really didn’t look at them. It varies with each performance.”

After audiences began asking questions about the notes and some patrons walked out at intermission, a decision was made to inform the audience about the actress’ illness.

Those now attending the show view signs in the lobby describing MS and its symptoms and asking patrons to be understanding. The same information is inserted into every program and the situation is also explained in the curtain speech before the show.

“Because MS is an invisible disability, we had to take these broader steps to inform our audience,” Moore said.

How the changes are making a difference

One patron said she believes that decision was a game-changer. Girten has received standing ovations every night, and Moore said everyone at The Human Race is 100 percent behind her.

One of those people is Sean Michael Flowers, who plays the role of accompanist in the play and is on stage with Girten for the entire two hours. He can occasionally be seen providing a word when she needs help.

At the first rehearsal, when Moore told the other members of the cast about the MS, Flowers wrote in his notes: “‘I’ve gotta have Maria’s back at all times!” That’s what he continues to do. “For me, ” Flowers says, “it’s all about what do I do to help her.”