SNACKED UP IN PRAYER!: The Dementia Diaries

Back by popular demand and with the partnership of Faith Village Research Lab @ UT San Antonio, Snacked Up In Prayer!: The Dementia Diaries will have its second staging for Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month at Jump-Start Performance Co. on November 7, 8 at 8pm, and November 9 at 3pm.
This compelling one-woman show is equal parts entertainment and education by addressing the epidemic of cognitive decline and its multifaceted effects on family caregivers. The unique blend of storytelling, humor, and poignant reflections is written by Robin LaVerne Wilson, performed by Dragonfly, and directed by award-winning performer Amalia Ortiz.

Thanks to the sponsorship of Faith Village Research Lab at UT San Antonio, all net revenue from ticket sales will go toward the inauguration of the Mary Dean Wilson Caregiver Respite Grant Program. Early bird tickets are available for $10 before November 1, general admission for $12 until November 6, and $15 the day of and at the door. Jump-Start Theater is located at 710 Fredericksburg Rd., San Antonio, TX, 78201.

Dragonfly was selected as the Jump-Start Performance Company’s INKubator artist for 2025. This program supported the development of Snacked Up In Prayer!: The Dementia Diaries with a small budget, public relations assistance, rehearsal space, tech support, documentation, constructive feedback, and a nurturing environment. The show premiered September 26-28, 2025, sold out all three performances, and engaged in vigorous and enthusiastic audience talkbacks after each show.

PREMISE:

Dragonfly was living her best bohemian life in NYC until the day she got that fateful phone call. After 20 years, the prodigal daughter is back in her childhood home in Texas. She negotiates the changes in her octogenarian mother’s memories and abilities while also dealing with her own change of life and circumstances. Helpful and harmful characters aid and assail her on her journey. As the baby of the family, she quickly learns to care for her mother and herself beyond everyone’s expectations, with the help of snacks and prayers along the way.

Almost everybody wants to live forever, but nobody wants to grow old. We are not talking enough about brain health and cognitive decline in the same way that we discuss risks for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses. It’s no wonder that we are facing an epidemic of little-to-no support for our aging parents and the responsibilities upon their adult children.

Being a family caregiver can be an isolating burden or a noble badge of honor. Which one depends upon our attitude, our abilities, and our access to resources.

The process of nurturing this show is my medicine—to synthesize and share what I’ve learned in the past several years. I have to laugh to keep from crying, I have to keep making my art, and I have to always put my mother’s needs first without losing myself.

My hope is that the product I create—the experience of my show—will be medicine for fellow family caregivers, activate them with greater access to resources, and encourage them to keep going.

I am excited and humbled by the rapid evolution of Snacked Up In Prayer!: The Dementia Diaries. It is now a living document, a perpetual work-in-progress, a mission and a passion.

Your attendance and feedback supports further development of this concept for local, national, and international community-building around family caregiving and creative aging.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Jump-Start Performance Company, 710 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, United States

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