Written & Performed By Marc J. Straus
Directed By Mara Mills
Stage Production By Jeremy Gratt
Following its performances at Studio Theater in Exile at Hudson Valley MOCA in November 2025, Marc J. Straus’ poignant play in verse, APHASIA, returned to the stage for three performances from October 9–11, 2026, at The Chain Theatre in New York City as part of the Factory Series.
Inspired by Straus’ mother, Dora, and the devastating stroke that left her unable to communicate, APHASIA explored the life of a brilliant, fiercely competitive woman who graduated college as valedictorian at age 76. Through intimate and lyrical soliloquies, Dora confronted her relationships, dependence, and mortality. Straus portrayed his mother in this deeply personal work, giving voice to her thoughts and feelings in an honest, moving portrait of remembrance, reckoning, and compassion.
As poet Eleanor Wilner, a recipient of a MacArthur Award, observed, the play brought Dora vividly to life through a “wonderfully rich, idiosyncratic portrait” that honored her life and created a requiem in her memory.
APHASIA is his second play in verse. NOT GOD has been performed in theaters across the US including Off Broadway and Studio Theater in Exile.
Reviews
Peekskill Herald
"Aphasia: A Play That Gives Voice to Silence"By Ariana Almeida-Martínez
Read Peekskill Herald's Review
ArtsWestchester
"Marc Straus Imagines Aphasia Told Through Verse"By Michelle Falkenstein
