About This Show

The Patient a 20 minute parody performance where Rosary re-enacts her initial appointment with her neurologist when she was told, “You have multiple sclerosis.” Not only does Rosary reveal the actual events, but she exposes the inner thoughts racing through her mind when it happened. The performance transforms the space allowing the audience to become voyeurs entering Rosary’s private medical world, so that an awareness of the oppressive realities can be exposed.

Setting: In a small city within the Adirondack mountains a doctor’s office is located within a large Victorian building. There’s an exam room, doctors office, hallway and reception area.

Characters: Dr. Thomas Soule – Approximately 50 year old male neurologist in Glens Falls, NY. Rosary – 22 year old female, from a mountain in Lake George, NY, without any known health conditions until today. She is currently blind in left eye, experiencing sensory issues of pain, numbness, loss of bladder control, dizziness, and clumsiness.

Inner Rosary – Rosary’s subconscious. This voice can be heard and addresses the audience.

Rosary will follow-up the performance with a presentation about her previous and current interdisciplinary activist artwork about disability identity. It will include a slide show, videos and Rosary’s narrative, exploring her life-changing events unfolding into activism art.

Rosary Solimanto explores the objectification she faces battling multiple sclerosis. She encourages discourse on disability identity to empower the afflicted. Solimanto has exhibited in New York City, New Jersey, North Carolina, Seattle, Pittsburgh, Hudson Valley, Toronto and Spain. She has performed in the O + Festival in Kingston, NY, the Itinerant Festival at the Bronx Museum and did a 12 hour durational performance at the Nuit Blanche Festival in Toronto. Awards include Parnassus Award in Fine Arts at Adirondack, New York; Kulakoff Award at Albany, New York; and the Sojourner Truth Fellowship at New Paltz, New York.