‘Women of Willow Creek’ finds levity amid fragility of mental health issues
This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
Addressing mental health issues affecting young people today — like suicide, eating disorders, self-harm and substance abuse — is part of a new script from a metro Atlanta playwright. It focuses on hope, survival and the health care workers who keep people alive.
Performer and writer Jamie Goss drew from her personal history in rehabilitation centers to create the script for “The Women of Willow Creek,” her first full-length play. A free, full cast reading of the material followed by a talk back will take place Thursday at Onstage Atlanta.
“When I was 15 to 21, in those six years, I had five suicide attempts and was in rehab five different times,” Goss said in a recent interview. “This play follows the women that I encountered there. It’s based on real events and real people.”
The play features six characters in a 28-day rehab stay. Though the central role is Harper — a young woman in treatment on an eating disorder unit in a psychiatric hospital — Goss said her script gives a voice to all the women onstage at specific points, allowing each to share her own story, from other patients to the care workers.
“Rebecca, the nurse, can come across as a kind of hard ass,” the playwright said. “She’s an older woman who’s probably been doing this work for 35 to 40 years. She knows all the tricks, what all the girls are going to try — whether they’re not swallowing a pill all the way or something like that. She loves her job. She may come off as sarcastic or cold, but she’s protecting us, being strong and helping us.”
When she began workshopping the script, Atlanta-based dramaturgs such as Rebekah Suellau encouraged Goss to put the show in front of audiences as soon as possible. The material encourages discussion of these issues.
“I wanted to really give a window into this setting,” Goss said. “Unless you’ve been in treatment, you don’t know what it’s like. A movie may show you some of that or a 12-step group, but a women’s eating disorder unit is very niche. I wanted to show every aspect: the good, the bad and ugly, what works and what doesn’t.”
Goss said she named the facility within the play Willow Creek because many actual facilities draw upon nature in their names to seem calming.
“Willow trees are not just signs of grief,” she said. “They are also symbols of resilience. That’s how I feel that I am and others like me. We may look fragile, but we’re extremely resilient because of what we’ve gone through.”
The play doesn’t wallow in darkness, she added. The reading — featuring Julia Kneeland, Darci Wells, Allison Pratt and others — has plenty of levity.
“You’re not going to leave feeling miserable, though it deals with heavy topics,” she said. “It’s a dark comedy. There’s a lot of humor in it and a lot of hope because that’s the truth of the situation. Most of it is a bunch of women sitting around and trying to survive by making jokes and being sarcastic. Often, that’s how you make it.”
Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
THEATER REVIEW
“The Women of Willow Creek”
7 p.m. Thursday at Onstage Atlanta. Free. 3041 N Decatur Road, Scottdale. allevents.in/
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Benjamin Carr is an ArtsATL editor-at-large who has contributed to the publication since 2019 and is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association, Dramatists Guild, Atlanta Press Club and Horror Writers Association. His writing has been featured in podcasts for iHeartMedia, onstage as part of the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival and online in the Guardian. His debut novel, “Impacted,” was published by the Story Plant.
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