Local healthcare and performing arts professionals will join forces for a special event that will underscore the relationship between both communities. AdventHealth and Central Florida Vocal Arts (CFVA) in cooperation with Winter Park Health Foundation are presenting Illuminating the Mind: Exploring Brain Injury through “The Light in the Piazza” on Tuesday, Oct. 22, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Center for Health & Wellbeing. The performance and panel discussion is inspired by CFVA’s upcoming production of “The Light in the Piazza” and will shed light on the subject of traumatic brain injury.
The musical tells the story of a wealthy woman and her daughter, Clara, who is developmentally disabled due to a childhood accident. A special advanced preview of the production will be accompanied by a panel discussion with experts from AdventHealth Neuroscience Institute. The CFVA presentation is part of an ongoing effort of incorporating non-arts partners to facilitate dialogue around relevant issues.
“A big part of our mission is to use performing arts to inform the community,” said CFVA Executive Director Theresa Smith-Levin. “The discussion will explore issues like how we view people with neurological defects, our beliefs in what they are capable of, and how we can have a more inclusive vision of the neurodiverse.”
Among the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury are behavioral changes and difficulty with attention and concentration. According to a research article published by Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, music can help with cognitive performance and improve social behavior. Illuminating the Mind will include input from a language pathologist and music therapist on the methods of stimulating brain recovery and reforming neural connections. And music will offer an impression of the world from Clara’s point of view with the song, “The Beauty Is.”
“You’re hearing this disjointed compositional style,” said Smith-Levin of the musical number. “This is meant to be an example of how her brain is processing, and while it may sound different to our ears, it would make perfect sense to her.”
“Collaborations like this exemplify our mission to make a positive difference in people’s lives by optimizing physical, mental, and social health and wellbeing,” said Jackie Carlin, community education director at Winter Park Health Foundation and the Center for Health & Wellbeing. “The arts are not just about expression, they are crucial in healing, reducing stress, and building social connections. By bringing together the medical and artistic communities at the Center for Health & Wellbeing, we’re cultivating an environment where the arts are accessible and utilized as a tool for prevention and whole-person health.”
A second advanced preview of “The Light in the Piazza” will be presented at Winter Park Library on October 30 starting at 6:30 p.m. The preview events are free to the public but registration is encouraged. For more information and registration, and for tickets to CFVA’s performances of “A Light in the Piazza,” November 15-16 at The Plaza Live, check the CFVA website.