The Golden Smile, written by Yaakov Bressler and directed by Joey Stamp, is one of the many new works featured throughout the Planet Connection Theatre Festivity, a festival dedicated to socially conscious theater, art and music. Bressler has created a story revolving around five mental patients who, after having gotten in trouble for misusing their provided rec room, choose to write a play in hopes of not getting kicked out. With the constant battles of personal struggles, overwhelming personalities, and the threat of losing a communal safe space, these mental patients work together to create their own reality.

Playwright Yaakov Bressler does an excellent job, in only eighty-five minutes, bringing humor to a situation that could easily be purely displayed as negative and possibly disturbing. By mixing his witty lines of dialogue with the clever lyrics and music by Zach Stamp, the show makes the audience laugh and entertains them with the characters' endlessly creative minds. Director Joey Stamp has helped this world come to life with his obvious vision of how the actors should portray mental patients. Yet while some of the actors thrived with the task, others were not as convincing.

A few actors are worth mentioning specifically. Playing the writer of the play within the play was actor Andy McCain. His intense character physicality deserves mention in and of itself, but beyond that McCain found a way to consistently draw you in for either a laugh or a profound statement. Also featured was actor Jody Doo, playing the patient who plays the sarcastic actor. The role required not only an immense amount of raw energy, but also the sensitivity and childlike qualities that, in the darker moments and scenes, would escape out of her and show the real pain that clearly lies within. It’s also important to note the stark contrast that actor JeVon Todd Blackwell brought to the show. Playing the role of Messenger, Blackwell was faced with the task of good vs. evil and the internal struggle it brings along with it.

With tickets being only eighteen dollars, there’s no reason not to head over to the Planet Connection Theatre Festivity to see The Golden Smile. This show allows you to be removed from your own thoughts and worries and transplanted into the minds of the mentally ill and, occasionally, unstable. You’ll laugh, you may feel uncomfortable, but this play displays reality and the problems and possibilities that come along with it.

For more information on the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity visit: https://planetconnections.org/