Lethan Candlish’s “Who Am I, Again?” tour is 20 years in the making
About life after a traumatic brain injury, the “verbal collage” is coming to KC Fringe July 18-23
Lethan Candlish performing “Who Am I, Again?” // Photo by Anna Isaeva
At 17, Lethan Candlish suffered a traumatic brain injury, a lifelong recovery event that changes a person’s abilities, personality, and even their likes and dislikes. He went on to earn a master’s degree in storytelling at East Tennessee State University, where his graduate thesis was a performance titled “Who Am I, Again?,” the story of how he rediscovered his identity post-injury. Candlish sporadically performed this piece over the years, but never toured the performance until decades later.
Candlish now lives in Beijing, China, where he teaches English and drama. He decided to revisit the decades-old piece a year and a half ago, after a colleague’s son was hit by a motorcycle and suffered a brain injury. He planned a performance that would raise money for the family’s medical bills, but he died before the event took place.
“We decided to hold the event anyway and to donate the money to a hospital in his name. At my performance, I opened up the stage and stories of surviving and witnessing trauma we shared,” says Candlish. “It was a powerful experience, and it was being a part of this that made me need to start working with the story again. I’m agnostic, but there was a spiritual sense of connection that I really do believe in.
Candlish at 17 in the hospital after his traumatic brain injury // Photo by Linda Candlish
Described as a verbal collage of stories, “Who Am I, Again?” follows Candlish’s story, along with ones of other survivors, friends, family and caregivers woven together. Revisiting his own journey of recovery, as well as others, has taught him that they are all connected through a common thread.
“Who Am I, Again?” will come to KC Fringe July 18-23, exploring trauma, loneliness and the power of community in 60 minutes.
“The details are very different in each story of recovery,” says Candlish. “But the core experiences of fear, loss, rediscovery, and appreciation are the same, just from different perspectives.”
