COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio has returned to the stage with the uplifting play "The Worries of Wesley."
"'The Worries of Wesley' is about a young girl who is perfect in every way; she gets good grades; she has great friends," explained Alan Tyson, the director of the play, "but she soon learns that she has anxiety, and she doesn't know how to cope with it."
The story follows Wesley's journey as she, with the help of her friends, family and puppets representing her brain, heart, lungs and senses, learns how to cope with her burgeoning anxiety.
"I think kids my age will connect to the show because it's talking about which I think is a really relatable thing that a lot of people struggle with every day," said Simone, the young actor who portrays 'Wesley' in the production. "It can help to show kids that it's OK to talk about how they're feeling and that it's normal to feel the way that they're feeling."
The poppy set, lighting design and catchy original soundtrack all help to illustrate the changes in Wesley's mood as they navigate a wide range of emotions including joy, concern, gratitude and even a panic attack.
Having personal experience with anxiety, Simone said that she felt grateful to be a part of the story.
"I feel like I really relate to Wesley," she explained. "When I have some of the similar feelings to what Wesley has, it helped me to become aware that I was having those feelings so I didn't get overwhelmed as much."
"Simone is just absolutely a darling to work with," said Tyson. "She is so honest and so free with the language and who Wesley is. I love that she brings her whole self to the process."
Tyson said that the story is a great reminder that we all need to work together to work through mental health issues like anxiety.
"It's not just an 'I' thing, it's a 'we' thing," he explained. "And if we all come together and help to at least ask questions - to support - we don't have to make fun, we don't have to be shy of it, then I think that's the true message of 'The Worries of Wesley.' It's not going to be over, but if we can - just help each other out a little bit, we can all get through it."
The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio's production of "The Worries of Wesley" runs through Feb. 11 at the Riffe Center in downtown Columbus.
For showtimes and ticket information, just visit their website: https://www.thecontemporaryohio.org/.