Don't Miss NOW WHAT?! This Sunday!

This week's guest blog is by Marie S. Paxson.

“Overture, curtains, lights... this is it, the night of nights!” Now What?! is Sunday!

Let me apologize in advance for being a shill for the new production of Now What?! Two performances of this show about adult ADHD will be held at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center this Sunday. While the name of the show may seem odd, for those with a recent diagnosis of ADHD it sums up what’s likely been going through their minds…now what?

The show is a must-see for anyone who has been diagnosed with ADHD and could use some good information about dealing with the disorder and what treatments and options exist. In fact, if you are close to someone that you think has the disorder, my suggestion is get tickets and go see this show! Oh and the best part? Rick Green and Patrick McKenna, two stars of Canadian television and PBS, make this show hugely funny with their comedy bits and sketches. It’s just good medicine for those affected by ADHD, plain and simple!

If you’ve ever seen the PBS documentary about ADHD called ADD & Loving It?! then you know the talents of these two men. They’re joined by Dr. Umesh Jain (Dr. J) an expert in ADHD, who plays the straight man to the comic antics of Rick and Patrick. But there’s more to this show than fun and games. There’s a lot of good information delivered in the form of an engaging stage production. The actors even bring members out of the audience to play “roles” in the show. The purpose of the show is to dispel the myths and rumors about ADHD and to let people with ADHD know that a diagnosis is not a death sentence. Many, many people diagnosed with ADHD are hugely successful actors, authors, doctors, athletes, and politicians.

Many people feel that ADD & Loving It?! has taken a lot of the blame and shame out of having adult ADHD. It would be good for recently diagnosed adults, as well as those struggling to accept that their lives will be different than they expected. Public television stations across the country have run the documentary ADD & Loving It?! and it was featured on the most recent cover of Attention magazine.

In Now What?! Rick, Patrick and Dr. J discuss ways to manage money, improve organizational skills, and provide advice on what to say to those who feel that people with ADHD are daydreamers and lazy. And while there’s nothing funny about ADHD, the actors provide poignant dialogue about the foibles of this misunderstood disorder. Interestingly enough, when Rick approached Dr. J with the idea of creating a humorous documentary about ADHD, he was met with incredulity. A show that makes fun of a mental disorder… Is nothing sacred? Well, my friends, the old adage is you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar and this production is sweet honey!

I hope you’ll take my advice and see this show.

Now What?! is scheduled for two performances (1:00 and 6:30 pm) at the University of Maryland’s Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Dekelboum Concert Hall on the College Park, Maryland campus this Sunday, June 12.

TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE AT DISCOUNTED PRICES WITH SPECIAL PROMO CODES! For information visit the CHADD website or contact CHADD directly at 301—306-7070 x118. For online ticket orders click here. Adults can purchase tickets with the promo code SPECIAL at $24.50, and students may use the promo code STUDENTSPECIAL to purchase tickets at $10.00 each. Tickets may also be purchased at the box office.


Marie S. Paxson is the immediate past president of CHADD.