A Disease's Final Kiss

Art that tries to teach you things “stinks,” says playwright and actor Jake Broder. 

“And yet there is a profound need for education, for awareness, for reducing stigma, for supporting the community and for medical education,” he said. A few years ago, while writing his latest play about the two individuals with frontotemporal dementia, he wrestled with how he could do both. 

In the season 4 finale of the Age of Aging, we tell the story of UnRavelled, a play about perseverance through neurodegeneration, burgeoning creativity late in life and an artistic relationship across time. Producer Jake Johnson shares his first-hand experience of the play’s premiere and how it combined theater with community outreach and education. 

What’s inside:  

• A historical perspective on composer Maurice Ravel’s brain condition and his work, “Bolero.” 

• An explanation from Dr. Bruce Miller on the relationship between frontotemporal degeneration and creativity.  

• Jake Broder’s insight into the inspiration and creation of the play as well as the associated Brain Health Festival. 
• The perspective of the show’s director and cast on creating the play and its core themes. 

Resources available on the episode webpage linked below  

• Listen to Maurice Ravell’s Bolero 

• Learn more about Dr. Bruce Miller 

• Listen to Unraveling Bolero (Radiolab) 

• Learn more about Jake Broder 

• More information on For Their Thoughts Foundation 

• Visit the official website of UnRavelled  

• Subscribe to the Age of Aging Newsletter 

 

Special thanks this episode to Dr. Bruce Miller, Jake Broder, Betsy Hall, Lucy Davenport, James Bonas, Leo Marks, Tracy Leigh, and the entire UnRavelled team. 

The Age of Aging is a Penn Memory Center production hosted by Editorial Director Terrence Casey and Producer Jake Johnson, in partnership with the Penn FTD Center, the Penn Institute on Aging, and Penn’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Contributors include Nicolette Calcavecchia, Dalia Elsaid, Jason Karlawish, Emily Largent, and Meaghan Sharp. 

 

The Age of Aging is made possible by generous support from the Michael Naidoff Communications Hub fund and our sponsors, the TIAA Institute and Rothkoff Law Group. The TIAA Institute is a think tank committed to building knowledge that advances lifelong financial security and well-being while considering the intersections of health and wealth. Their cutting-edge research provides actionable financial and longevity insights that help individuals and employers navigate the complex journey of aging. 

 

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