David and Lisa

James Reach’s David and Lisa play adaptation tells the story of David Clemens--a young man who suffers from a life-altering fear of death and being touched. His parents take him to an institution that is meant to help and treat children with mental illness. David encounters a number of doctors that he feels are beneath him and students that he finds are too difficult to become friends with, ultimately making him the outcast in a group made of outcasts. However, none catches his eye like Lisa--a girl who is burdened by a split personality disorder.

David stays withdrawn from most people at Berkley School but throughout the play, he begins to see the beauty of friendship and real connection, allowing him and Lisa to make changes to their lives that they both thought were nearly impossible.

David and Lisa is a tale of acceptance. Of life and death, love and hate, beautiful and ugly. While most of the characters are meant to be archetypes, they all hold a piece of humanity within them, making them relatable to everyone, not just those who suffer from mental illnesses.