For three performances only, Studio Theatre in Exile will present acclaimed poet, playwright, physician, and art collector, Marc J. Straus, who will bring his deeply personal play inverse, APHASIA, to New York City from October 9 through October 11, 2026. As part of the Factory Series at the Chain Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 3rd floor.
Written and performed by Straus, APHASIA is directed by Mara Mills, with stage production by Jeremy Gratt. The play was inspired by Straus’ mother, Dora, and the devastating stroke that left herunable to communicate with those around her.
Dora Straus awakens in an emergency room after suffering a massive stroke that has causedparalysis on her right side and aphasia. Although she understands everything happening around her, she cannot make herself understood.
A formidable, brilliant, and fiercely competitive woman, Dora graduated from college as valedictorian at the age of 76. Now soundless and entirely dependent upon others, she is forced to confront her life, her relationships, and her own mortality. Through a series of intimate soliloquies, Dora takes fullstock of a life that was complicated, demanding, and richly lived. At times sad, funny, and angry—but always unflinchingly honest—APHASIA gives voice to a woman who has lost the ability to speak. Straus himself assumes the role of Dora, channeling his mother’s story through a series of poignantand lyrical reflections. In performing the role, he speaks both for her and to her, creating an intimate portrait of a mother as remembered by her eldest son.
