What is Colour My World and how did it come to be?
Colour My World is a short play that tells the story of Nancy Ripley, who desperately wants to get back to her husband and her two boys but the damn bus is not coming. A stranger sits next to her and, noticing how anxious she is, strikes up a conversation. As they chat, she realizes that not only is Malachy not a stranger but he was her last-minute high school prom date! They laugh and reminisce about that crazy night 35 years ago. It all comes back in vivid detail as if it’s all happening again and then, Malachy plays the theme song, Colour My World, on his phone. It’s the slow dance they never had at their prom but later fell in love to under the stars up on Hoppin Hill Road.
As the iconic piano chords play, one last burst of memory washes over Nancy: Malachy is her husband. He has found her again and he is there to bring her home, as he always has, especially since her diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. A home health aid enters and helps Nancy back upstairs into her residence as Malachy removes the fake Bus Stop sign and pushes the bench back up onto their lawn.
This play was inspired by a RadioLab episode that featured a nursing home in Germany that came up with this unique solution.
Who initially inspired you to grapple with dementia?
I was the caregiver for my mother for 10 years. From early diagnosis to her transition to a memory care facility, I became extremely interested in using my abilities to advocate for everyone on this journey. (Find more on Melinda Buckley and her mother’s journey with dementia in her previous Spotlight for MOTHER (and me) a solo play.)
How has working on dementia-related art changed you?
Caring for my mom was by far one of the most traumatic and moving experiences in my life. I have been a Broadway performer and theater writer/director for many years but since I began writing about this subject I’ve come to realize a greater purpose in making art. I think art should inspire and move people to act. It should wake people up at the core of their being and change their minds and their hearts. I aim to rouse humanity, to make us care for everyone, especially the most vulnerable among us.
This work is dedicated to: Everyone who has ever loved someone “all the way home.”
Find more from Melinda Buckley on her website. Colour My World will be presented as part of a short play festival More LIttle Devils running at three venues, in Brewmaster, MA; Orleans, MA, and Provincetown, MA, in March and April. For more information about this event, visit the Helltown Players website.
