PORTSMOUTH — She was nervous, the anxiety coursing through her like wildfire.
She felt untethered, unsure of the steps to take next. She had already lost so much; the life of her …
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PORTSMOUTH — She was nervous, the anxiety coursing through her like wildfire.
She felt untethered, unsure of the steps to take next. She had already lost so much; the life of her friend, the belief in herself. But she was there, she was alive, and she was going to start the long, winding road toward recovery.
A year after Creating Outreach About Addiction Support Together (COAAST) first introduced the Portsmouth community to Sam, a college student struggling with substance abuse, the followup play, “Four Legs to Stand On, Act 2,” continues her journey as she and four other recovering addicts celebrate their successes, mourn their losses and attempt to take life simply one day at a time.
Held in the Portsmouth High School library on May 13, Act 2 — sponsored by CODAC Behavior Healthcare and the Newport County Prevention Coalition — picks up exactly where the first production left off.
After coming clean about her drug problem and spending time in an inpatient facility, Sam (played by Jane Bird) finds herself in the opening scene attending her first session of group therapy. Though she is trying to move forward, Sam is still wrestling with her feelings of guilt following the death of her friend, Leo.
“I honestly don’t know what I believe in anymore,” she admits.
While at group, Sam meets four other addicts, all of whom are in varying stages of recovery. There is Tricia (Tiffany Fenton), a mother celebrating three months of sobriety; Allen (Rachel Tondreault), a war veteran relying on humor to get by; Evelyn (Emma Sacchetti), a self-proclaimed feminist struggling to find her motivation; and Miguel (Jerediah Gonzalez), fresh out of prison and savoring his regained freedom.
They are led by Anthony (Chris Rodriquez), a former user himself now enjoying over 10 years of sobriety.
“I am one of you, I’m just further down the road,” he assures each one of them.
As their sessions with Anthony continue, each one of their stories begin to evolve. Tricia begins to struggle with her frustration over not being able to freely see her daughter; Allen attempts to put aside his pride and seek more help. Evelyn remembers the pain of losing her mother and acknowledges the anger felt toward her father; Miguel finds himself back in jail.
All the while there’s Sam, still haunted by losing Leo, still wishing it had been her instead.
What “Four Legs to Stand On, Act 2” shows the audience is that addiction can hold many faces; there cannot be any universal recovery approach. Yet in the final scene, each of the characters stand together, attempting to hold out hope.
“We do recover, do you hear us?” they say in unison. “We do.”
Tough topics
From race and religion to grief and guilt, the second act of “Four Legs to Stand On,” funded by grants through the Trinity Repertory Company and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, covers a wide variety of tough topics seen in the world of substance abuse.
Shaping many of the individual storylines were the comments and issues raised by audience members during “talkback” sessions from the first act’s tour.
“All of those conversations kind of all evolved into the second act,” said Ana Bess Moyer Bell, executive director of COAAST and the show’s playwright.
One of the recurring themes she would often see brought up was the role parents, particularly mothers, also had in the story of addiction. Family involvement (or the lack thereof) was an important subject for her to write into Act 2’s script, from the captive pain of Leo’s mother (Tanya Martin) to the impact an absent father figure had on Miguel.
“This is a family disease; it’s not just the individual,” said Portsmouth’s Ray Davis, assistant director of the Newport Country Regional Coalition.
While it may be impossible for some of us—as family, friends or community members—to fully understand what a day in the life of an addict is truly like, simply lending support and stripping away the stigma as they experience both the highs and lows the journey can have lends a start. As stated in one of the final moments of the play:
“Relapsing doesn’t mean they failed; it means the treatment failed them. It is up to all of us to help them when they ask for it and to hold their hands as they walk this prickly path.”