So what inspired Maddie Corman to create the theater production Accidentally Brave? Was it for service? Was it for therapeutic purposes? Well according to Ms. Corman, it certainly was not for therapeutic purposes. However, she jokes that she might have done it to avoid having lunch with many people. Although it may sound corny, Ms. Corman created the theater production out of service. She wanted to be a voice for the individuals and families that were not able to tell their stories or thought nobody else was going through what they were, or for the spouses of addicts who do not receive a lot of understanding and attention.
When Maddie Corman was going through the ordeal someone reached out to her and saved her life. It is no exaggeration to say that this particular individual who was willing to share her most painful, darkest, experiences with Ms. Corman privately was instrumental in helping her get through the devastating circumstance. Although this individual was not a friend of Ms. Corman, and only came to learn about her after reading Mr. Alexander’s story, which was also Ms. Corman’s story in the newspapers.
When he asked her what she could ever do to repay the stranger, her simple request was that Ms. Corman do the same thing for someone else. Perhaps the stranger did not have a theater production in mind when she made this request, but this was Ms. Corman’s way of doing the same thing for someone else. This is what she believed she could do to share her story in a manner that could be helpful to many people.
When creating the theatre production, Maddie Corman did not get as frightened as she probably should have been because there was no time and the whole “thing” took place rather quickly. Before the production started, Maddie Corman only read the script 4 times. She did a reading in October and in less than twelve hours Daryl Roth told her that she was ready if she was. This gave Ms. Corman courage since someone with incredible integrity and taste, and one of the originals was ready to say “Let’s go.” Ms. Corman felt very protected by her director Kristin Hanggi, even in the most scary moments. During the first night of the theater production, Maddie Corman was not certain whether to continue with the production. It was not stage fright, it was the realization that she was about to tell her story to the world. It was at this time that Kristin Hanggi reminded Ms. Corman that somebody out there needed to hear her story and this gave her the strength to get on stage. If you never got to hear Ms. Corman’s side of the story, Accidentally Brave will be very helpful. It is also ideal for you if you are going through a challenging time with your spouse or family and are wondering how you can get through your situation.
