New Persephone play explores family, grief and mental health
Photo Credit: (left to right) Kathleen MacLean, Jennifer Dawn Bishop, Skye Brandon and Danny Knight work on a scene in the rehearsal hall for This Is How We Got Here by Keith Barker, playing on the Main Stage in Rawlco Radio Hall Jan. 31 to Feb. 11. (Photo by Olivia Swerhone-Wick)
Matt Olson
February 3, 2024
Persephone Theatre’s first main stage play of 2024 promises to tackle the ever important and all-too-familiar topics of suicide and mental health.
This Is How We Got Here by Keith Barker follows two couples as they deal with the fallout of a death in the family — one that resulted from a battle with mental health. The family is forced to examine their relationships and connections with each other as they navigate through their loss and deal with the surprising visit of a fox. The show runs until Feb. 11 at Persephone Theatre.
Danny Knight, one of the performers in This Is How We Got Here, said the show connects with the very real ways people cope with loss.
“The show, to me, is about the misconnections people have. It’s about how we deal with grief in different ways, and how people avoid dealing with grief and that can create problems in your life,” Knight said. “You’re going to see friends trying to go on with their daily lives, but they have all these questions they’re too scared to ask or answer.”
Knight, who noted he’s more used to taking on comedic roles, said it was an exciting challenge to portray a more serious character in this play. He lauded the work done by the rest of the cast — including Kathleen MacLean, Skye Brandon and Jennifer Dawn Bishop — in portraying deep and thoughtful characters, and for helping him hone his own character for this drama.
Assistant director Rayna Masterson said in a statement that Keith Baker’s script tackles heavier topics in a positive way.
