Eating disorder play returns Sunday

After years of struggling with an eating disorder, IU alumna Amy Fortoul has put her life experiences into a play detailing the highs and lows of her illness and recovery. \nFortoul is the writer, director and sole actor in her autobiographical movement and spoken word theater piece "This is My BODY." \nAbout a month ago, Fortoul performed her one-act play at the Rose Firebay Theater in the John Waldron Arts Center. Her performance caught the attention of Syndee L'ome Eartheart, the director of The Loving Heart, a healing and counseling center for women. Eartheart invited Fortoul to do two subsequent performances of her show and is having Fortoul return again this weekend. \n"Her performance is so incredibly healing, cathartic and life-altering," Eartheart said. "I'm just nuts about her."\nFortoul will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday at The Loving Heart, 111 E. Kirkwood, above The Book Corner across from the Theater Cafe.\nAbout 11 years ago, Fortoul, who was a theater and drama major at IU at the time, went through outpatient treatment for bulimia at Bloomington Hospital. Through her theater group, Imagine Production, she directed workshops with other women to compose the first version of her play. A group of IU students acted out and spoke about their own experiences with body image, eating disorders and sexuality. \nShe later converted the play into an autobiographical piece.\n"My goal was to get people to emphasize on an emotional level with the pain underneath the disorder symptoms and then also to mirror it back to someone who is struggling that recovery is possible," Fortoul said. \nEartheart said she thinks Fortoul's work is important for other women to see.\n"In my work, I work with a lot of women with the issues she so honestly portrayed in her life," Eartheart said. "I believe there is such incredible healing power in the sharing of our stories, and Amy does this in such a beautiful raw honest way."\nFortoul said there has recently been a tremendous growth in interest in her work. In the last couple months, she has been approached to do a show at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, which seats 600, in October and the Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis in April.\nFortoul will also be doing a writing, theater and movement workshop at the Bloomington Playwrights Project at 312 S. Washington St. noon Sunday. During the workshop, Fortoul will teach techniques in writing and acting autobiographical works. \n"She teaches like she performs: with total commitment of her whole body and her spirit," said "The Lion King" cast member Tony Freeman at one of her recent workshops.\nFortoul has been hired by the Bloomington Playwrights Project to teach an eight-week course on creating autobiographical theater.\nImmediately following her shows, Fortoul offers a chance for the audience to ask her questions and talk about their reactions to what they just watched.\nFortoul, who is usually based in New York City, said she is happy about doing her work in Bloomington. \n"It's really exiting because this is where I started my work as an artist and it's where I went through the healing process from the eating disorder," Fortoul said.\nFor more information on the workshops and classes, call 334-1188.\n-- Contact Arts Editor Jenica Schultz at jwschult@indiana.edu.