Samuel A. Simon: Tackling His Existential Journey Onstage in Dementia Man [Video]

When Samuel A. Simon wrote his first one-person show, it was about being a care partner to his wife as she navigated breast cancer. Now, with his own Alzheimer’s diagnosis and his wife as his care partner, he’s performing another play — from his perspective as a patient.

Creativity can flourish for many people after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, like Rebecca Chopp learning how to paint and Reda Harrison rediscovering quilting.

For award-winning playwright and performer Samuel A. Simon, navigating disease through theatrical storytelling was familiar territory. His first play, The Actual Dance, Love’s Ultimate Journey Through Breast Cancer, traced his experience as a care partner through his wife’s breast cancer. The play toured from 2013 to the present. In 2021, this play was turned into an award-winning biography.

When Simon was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment and in 2021 with early-stage Alzheimer’s, his connections from the theater community encouraged him to take the experience from page to …