A reading of the new play by Krista Knight, directed by Larissa lury.

Lipstick Lobotomy is a new play by Krista Knight about her Great Aunt Ginny and Rosemary Kennedy, before their respective lobotomies.

This event is the first in the Explorations in the Medical Humanities series to feature an original creative piece, Krista Knight’s new play Lipstick Lobotomy. Knight, a former Juilliard Playwriting Fellow, is currently the Writer-in-Residence in Cinema & Media Arts and Theatre at Vanderbilt University. Other credits include Selkie at Dutch Kills, and Primal Play at New Georges.

Drawing on Columbia’s institutional history, we will host the play in Buell Hall, the only remaining building from the psychiatric institution formerly located on the University site. This one-off event will feature a dramatic reading of Knight’s play by professional actors, commentary from the playwright and director, and a brief history of Columbia’s architectural/institutional history as a psychiatric facility. The reading is intended to present the gendered and political history of lobotomy as a widely-performed psychiatric procedure in the mid-20th century, and, more generally, to explore the ways in which dramatic performance can engender new ways of thinking about medical testimony.

This reading will be directed by Eugene O’Neill National Directing Fellow Larissa Lury.

LIPSTICK LOBOTOMY
Reading: Explorations in the Medical Humanities Series
Production: The Heyman Center at Columbia University
Director: Larissa Lury
Location: Columbia University - Buell Hall East Gallery
Date: Thurs, March 28 @ 6:15pm