Play about Parkinson’s premieres at Theatre Exile

When playwright Cary Mazer saw the world-premiere of his play, A Puppeteer with the Palsy Performs Scenes from Shakespeare or, the Ghost in the Machine debut at Theatre Exile in Philadelphia, he was incredibly nervous.

Mazer, 72, worked on this play for seven years. It was also the first time in his life that one of his plays had a full stage production.

“It feels like I’m the oldest young playwright,” said Mazer.

Mazer added:

“I wrote plays before; scenes from my previous plays were performed on stage, but never like this.”

Mazer decided to write this play after he learned that he had Parkinson’s disease (PD) about nine years ago.

For Mazer, this play was personal. The show focused on a puppeteer in the year 1817 who was scheduled to give a one-man Shakespeare performance, but at the last minute decided to tell the audience that he had the Shaking Palsy, and would soon have to give up acting.

The year 1817 was not a random year Mazer chose from a hat. In 1817, James Parkinson provided the world with a clear description of the disease along with many of its symptoms in his treatise, "Essay on the Shaking Palsy.”

Several decades later, The Shaking Palsy was renamed Parkinson’s Disease (PD).

Nine years ago, Mazer suspected that something was wrong when he could no longer snap his fingers on his left hand. He also had trouble with his gait.

When the doctor told Mazer that he had PD, he also told him that PD did not mean that could no longer live an active life.

“I had a hard time watching my play,” said Mazer. When he saw David Ingram portraying the puppeteer with Palsy, he worried about what his character (not the actor) was going through as he told the 19th century audience about his disease.

The show’s director is Edward Sobel.

“I first learned about this play in 2018 when Cary sent me an early draft to review,” said Sobel. “I was glad to do it because Cary was my advisor when I was an undergraduate at Penn (University of Pennsylvania). The writing was just beautiful. The language was rich and sophisticated.”

Sobel said that he learned a lot about PD, not just from knowing Mazer, but from directing A Puppeteer with the Palsy Performs Scenes from Shakespeare or, the Ghost in the Machine.

“I didn’t know that some people are symptomatic one way, some symptomatic in another way,” said Sobel. “There’s an inconsistency how it affects different people. Some people decline slowly. I’m talking years. Some people decline right away. I also didn’t realize that there were other mobility issues linked to Parkinson’s such as gait movement, Dementia, and problems with muscle control.”

People with movement disorders can see this show for free.

Mazer will donate all of his royalties from the play to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for PD research.

“We hope that our audiences can also donate to the Michael J. Fox Foundation,” said Sobel.

A Puppeteer with the Palsy Performs Scenes from Shakespeare or, the Ghost in the Machine runs until August 24.

For information about tickets, times, and dates, log onto

https://theatreexile.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/events/a0SU1000004gZv7MAE