Distracted

by Lisa Loomer

Book by Lisa Loomer

Genres: Plays, Theatre, School

71 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2009

About the author

Lisa Loomer is an acclaimed American playwright and screenwriter whose work often explores family life, cultural identity, and pressing social issues. She is best known for The Waiting Room, a widely produced play examining body image and societal beauty standards across different cultures and eras. Her powerful storytelling also shaped the screenplay for the film Girl, Interrupted.
Born in New York, Loomer later moved to Mexico, an experience that deepened her connection to Latina and immigrant narratives, which often appear in her work. She studied theatre at Brandeis University and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, beginning her career as an actress and stand-up comic before turning to playwriting.
Loomer's plays, including Roe, Living Out, Distracted, and Homefree, have premiered at major theaters such as the Mark Taper Forum, Arena Stage, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival, with many receiving national and international productions. Her work has been honored with awards such as the Jane Chambers Playwriting Award, the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, and the American Theatre Critics Association Award.
In addition to her plays, Loomer has written for television and film, with credits including Girl, Interrupted, Nappily Ever After, and TV pilots for HBO, CBS, and Showtime. She served as a supervising producer for the second season of Love Is… on OWN. In 2023, she adapted Real Women Have Curves into a stage musical.
Her writing is widely studied in university drama, Women’s Studies, and Latino Studies programs. An alumna of New Dramatists, Loomer’s work is celebrated for its wit, heart, and incisive social commentary, making her one of the most important voices in contemporary American theatre.

Reviews

[Briana · Rating 1 out of 5]

As someone who has spent years dealing with mental health issues, this play is easily one of the most offensive things I've ever read. It seems to take the position that mental illness is simply a cause of being too "distracted," a product of the modern world and all the stimulation it offers. Medication is seen as a detriment and a cause for more problems, such as when Jesse in Act Two is described as "rather like a zombie" or when he says "It makes me feel like I've got bugs inside!" (scene 14). It's implied that the panic attack he has about the fire drill is a direct result of the drugs and not part of his condition that was heightened by them, as the doctor explains is common. Mama asks if having to take drugs makes kids depressed, and Dad even goes so far as to say he'll divorce Mama if she continues to keep Jesse on drugs. This is despite Dr. Jinks/Dr. Karnes "breaking character" to go on the record about how much Ritalin has helped. If this is an argument about not medicating children with mental illnesses or learning disabilities, it's not a good one. The end of this play seems to imply that attention and love from two caring parents is enough to solve any problems caused by mental illness which is empirically not the case.

This is reenforced by the tragedy that is Natalie. When her bipolar disorder and cutting get out of control, she's shipped to Utah to what is essentially a prison by parents who are clearly anguished over the decision but who have been shown to be "distracted." Natalie wasn't even able to get attention from Mama when she needed it, and the implication is that if those around her hadn't been so "distracted," she could have been "cured." The instant message interaction only proves that she's not getting better. Even when she finally gets the attention she'd wanted, it's too late. While it's true that attention early on in her problems may have made it easier to get help, the position taken by this play seems to be one of two things: medication causes mental health problems (like with Jesse) or medication doesn't actually help mental health problems (like with Natalie). I think that in the context of the play, nothing would have helped her.

The only positive thing I saw in Act Two was the position the play took on the "anti-vaxxer" movement, where Mama choosing to not vaccinate Jesse was seen as insane and unsafe. The lack of vaccination of children in recent years has caused a significant spike in the spread of infectious diseases like whooping cough, so it was nice to see "Distracted" take at least one reasonable stance on medical treatment.

[Peatie-John Mosser · Rating 2 out of 5]

CW/TW: Mention of suicide
Distracted was for me incredibly problematic and didn't leave enough space to deal with all of the issues it raised. It was not accessible for me, and it seemed to be written for people who relate more with Jesse’s mother than with Jesse. The problem with this perspective is that it takes away from the neurodivergent community it is intended to serve by focusing on how neurodivergence affects and is perceived by neurotypical people. Based on research of the play, I believe the problematic elements were intended to be a humorous look at the ridiculous views people have of issues like adhd and autism. Unfortunately, especially for most autistic people, the humor would be lost in an attempt to simply grapple with the author's unspoken intentions with the characters on issues that are a matter of life or death for members of this community. Although being autistic doesn't directly affect mortality, autistic people have a low life expectancy of 40 years, and a suicide rate triple that of the general population. We are a vulnerable community who deserves better than a final performative attempt to appease us in the last act of a play written for exhausted mothers. The exhausted mother is a big trigger for many autistic people because she represents someone who builds her identity around her neurodivergent child, stealing the child's lifeforce by standing in their spotlight and making it about her struggle, not theirs. I understand the point of having Jesse off screen the whole time, I just don't think it was an effective way to portray his experience, because that was never the point. It was about hers.
Don't even get me started on Carolyn. It's more than just being an antivaxxer, the very idea that vaccinations cause autism or that autism is a problem to be fixed is inherently wrong. The play didn't even begin to unpack this issue, instead focusing on the community risk of not vaccinating. The whole time I was reading it, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for something awful to happen. It was not a comedy, it was a horror.
The characters who should be front and center were largely absent. Natalie disappeared. She was silenced. She became invisible. It's not ok. It doesn't help.
This play got one thing right, but it waited too long and didn't go far enough. In the end, Mama realizes she needs to pay attention to her son. *slow clap*

[Matt Chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essentially a play about the complexity of raising a child with ADHD. The humor is very effective, but the "serious" and dramatic part of the play is a little uneven; sometimes it's effective and sometimes it falls flat with me. Lots of breaking the 4th wall, which I like but might not have universal appeal. The ending of the play kind of just "happens" not a lot gets resolved but ends on a little hopeful note. My main complained is that I think the Dad character really got off easy, a little unsatisfying I think.

[Janelle Hawkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in a generation where the diagnosis of ADD were just coming out, and it wasn’t common. Parents warned other parents before sleepovers that their kid was on Ritalin and had behavior issues. Today, it’s one of the most common things you heat both adults and kids having.

This play seems to be in the in-between time. Kids have it all over but no one wants to fully accept it and how to treat it is up in the air. Looker takes a really interesting look at a family dynamic so highly effect by this phenomenon and how every member plays a part in the development of life by the others.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rapid fire play that doesn’t dig as deep as you’d think beyond the surface, this show just kind of happened for me. Interesting concepts left slightly unresolved throughout the play.

[Elizabeth Munoz · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a person with this diagnosis, I found the script incredibly problematic. Others have already pointed out the reasons as to why.

[jo lemahieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

so damn good. raw and so incredibly real.

[Kelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This play tackles a modern issue- ADHD, the true clinical disorder, but also the idea of our society itself contributing to people unable to concentrate. What is normal in today's society? When do we need to turn to drugs and at what cost? The problem is the play really hits you over the head with the themes, like all the major distractions in society. It also creates some shallow and somewhat stereotypical characters- the pro-pill popping neighbor, the homeopathic doctor who thinks cutting out wheat will cure ADHD, the exhausted teacher who just wants the kid to sit still at any cost, and the dad who insists 'boys will be boys.' But stereotypes do exist for a reason, all these characters are present in our conversations about ADHD and using medication, especially for children. And the play does a good job of showing how a parent could easily be overwhelmed with the information coming at them from all angles.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, it was a good play, but I think there were a number of problems with it. My biggest complaint was with the character with OCD. Everyone else gets a moment to be taken seriously, but she remains the laughing stock throughout the entire play and her depiction was actually somewhat offensive to me.

[Mimi Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am cast in this play as Sherry. Rehearsals will not start until summer. I am so excited and cannot wait to begin work on this production. I have to finish "West Side Story", then "Distracted" will commence!

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the story and ideas are good, but the ending might be a bit of a cop out... not sure. Great characters.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matches the distress of ADHD with a distressing style. Interesting but the end trivializes the setup.