It's a
Beautiful
Wound
about
It's a Beautiful Wound, written and performed by Rich Orloff, is the true story of Rich's adventures in underground therapy using MDMA (a.k.a. Ecstasy) and psilocybin mushrooms. These sessions, based on cutting-edge experiments to help people heal from deep psychological wounds, propel Rich beyond his ego and defenses into a journey that both challenges his perceptions and reveals possibilities he never before considered. Inspired by the autobiographical monologues of Spalding Gray, It’s a Beautiful Wound takes the audience through the experience of psychedelic-assisted therapy in an honest, amusing, and deeply compelling way.
But the show is about more than just psychedelics. Ultimately, It's a Beautiful Wound is about one person's journey towards reconciliation with the soul.
praise
"A mesmerizing tale that is simultaneously humorous and emotionally devastating, performed with brutal honesty and bravery"- Bill Taylor, Artistic Director, Theatre Conspiracy, Fort Myers FL
"Very moving and wonderfully uplifting. It's a Beautiful Wound gave me my favorite experience, which is laughter through tears. I love that people will learn about psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in this entertaining and provocative way."- Julie Holland, MD, editor of Ecstasy: The Complete Guide
"You know it's a compelling evening of theater when, as the audience is exiting after the show, they're still discussing the impact of what they've seen and felt. That's how our audience responded."- Bill Lelbach, Artistic Director, Chenango River Theatre, Greene NY
"It's a Beautiful Wound is a remarkable and deeply moving portrayal of psychedelic therapy and its potential for profound healing."- Ingmar Gorman. PhD, Co-Clinical Investigator, MAPS MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Study
"It's a Beautiful Wound recounts one person’s journey from the “ache” of living to the beautiful release of understanding, acceptance and love. Few people capture that journey in a way that is as honest, vulnerable and humorous as It's a Beautiful Wound. This is the essence of theater."- Robert Kolby Harper, New Works Director, Phoenix Theatre Company
"It's a Beautiful Wound took me on a visceral ride of insight, laughter, emotions and reflection, that left me with an afterglow of compassion about being human."- Colin Pugh, Director, The Brooklyn Psychedelic Society
"It's a Beautiful Wound was engaging, funny, and relatable in ways I didn't anticipate. Truly, the play was a wonderful sharing of the journey in healing through psychedelics."- Kwasi Adusei, founder, Psychedelic Society of Western New York
"It's a Beautiful Wound was deeply engaging, while also infused with a disarming wit. The audience in Stockholm was visibly moved, and many continued speaking about the experience long after the evening ended."- Filip Bromberg, Co-Founder, Network for Psychedelic Science, Sweden
"When we showed It's a Beautiful Wound in two Finnish cities, people described being deeply moved by Rich's vulnerable, original, self-reflective, and simultaneously grounded and optimistic story."- Henry, Co-Director, Association for Finnish Psychedelic Education & Culture
about performances
Rich has performed It's a Beautiful Wound for theaters, mental health organizations, and psychedelic education groups around the United States and Europe. The 80-minute show is usually performed simply, with Rich at a table or musical stand, with the script in front of him. The show has no fancy technical needs and can be adapted to almost any space.
On January 14, 2020, Rich performed the show for The Aware Project/LA. You can watch a video of the performance by clicking HERE.
about Rich Orloff
Rich Orloff is a playwright, poet and storyteller.
Author of 18 full-length plays (mostly comedies and mostly award-winning) and over 80 short plays, which have had over 2400 productions on six continents... and a staged reading on Antarctica. The New York Times called his play Big Boys "rip-roaringly funny" and named his comedy Funny as a Crutch a Critic’s Pick. His comedy Romantic Fools has had over 120 productions around the world, including two in Madrid, where apparently they have more romantic problems than the rest of us. His musical comedy Esther in the Spotlight has been performed in New York, Miami, Toronto and Tel Aviv, and his educational children’s play Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Fight Tuberculosis Together, commissioned by Doctors of the World, was a big hit in Kosovo.
His spiritually infused poems have a weekly readership of over 2000 ministers, rabbis and friends, and they've been published in The Poet and other journals, presented at churches and synagogues, performed in theaters and schools, read at meditation and yoga groups, and spoken at events both lofty and intimate.
He has no idea what he's going to do next.
contact
If you'd like to book a performance of It's a Beautiful Wound, contact Rich at orloffplays@gmail.com.
For information about Rich’s other plays, visit www.richorloff.com.