Mental illness as woman: It’s a trope that keeps on giving. From Blanche DuBois (A Streetcar Named Desire) to Bertha Mason (Jane Eyre) to Norma Desmond (Sunset Boulevard) and beyond, writers have used female characters to embody the myriad manifestations of mangled synapses and misfiring neurotransmitters.
For Fotos, anxiety issues escalated after he graduated from Downers Grove North High School and was accepted at Boston’s ultracompetitive, highly prestigious Berklee College of Music. “It was everything I’d ever wanted. I was so excited—like, now I’m going to learn how to actually write this musical. But my anxiety got so bad I ended up leaving after five weeks,” Fotos says.
“Mental illness can be seductive and manipulative,” Gosz adds. “It’s so tempting when your bed is calling you, telling you the world won’t miss you if you never leave it.”
Through 11/24: Thu-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 2 and 7:30 PM, Sun 2 PM; also Wed 10/30, 7 PM, Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont, 773-327-5252, stage773.com, $25-$35.
