Wellness Center Encourages Revival of ‘Time Machine’ Medication Narcan

Loyola’s Wellness Center put on a production about Narcan, a brand of naloxone used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, in Galvin Auditorium March 14. 

Drawing from personal connections to drug overdose, writer and actor John Michael used dark humor to engage the audience with his semi-autobiographical play “My Heaven and The Time Machine.” Attendees were taken through the perilous reality of drug overdose while also finding joy in the dramatic costume changes.

After viewing the original show in October at The Neo-Futurist Theater, Wellness Center director Mira Krivoshey invited John Michael to perform at Loyola. Krivoshey said the university has been working in collaboration with the Division of Student Development to push their Narcan and opioid awareness campaign. 

“There was such a contrast between the humor and the sentiment around grief,” Krivoshey said. “Turning into something that audience members could walk away with tangible skills around, to me was just a really powerful message, and I wanted to bring it to our students.”

Viewers are introduced to John Michael’s friends such as Gay Evel Knievel and Fun Monster, connecting through light-hearted relationships. Throughout the play, John Michael portrays coping with the deaths of his chosen family to drug overdose. 

“When they OD’d, they were trying to have a good time,” John Michael said. “I know that sounds hard but when I think of them, I want to have a good time. And making Narcan fun makes me feel good about them.”

Loyola’s alcohol and other drug educator Callie Powers said she found the personal connection and first-hand stories exceptionally moving. While the Wellness Center typically holds training or instructional workshops, which are more hands-on, Powers said she recognizes the emotional lasting impact a true story can have on the audience.

John Michael included the audience into his show and said he often asks for volunteers to fill the voices of other characters to assist with storytelling. Students joined his performance playing friends in his life — at one point even holding his hair back as he mimicked snorting a line of cocaine.

Idiake Irumundomon, a health promotion advocate intern and one of the participants in the show, performed the role of “reviving” John Michael after he overdosed in the play. This marked the first demonstration for the appropriate method on administering Narcan, displaying a real-life scenario. 

“After watching, I think it was presented in a way that just sort of makes understanding topics like overdoses and remedies to prevent those more approachable and more understandable,” Irunumdomon said. “It kind of just breaks the stigma.”

The show concluded with a training lesson on how to administer Narcan, along with free boxes of the life-saving medication passed through the audience. While explaining the benefits and rules of naloxone, John Michael and members from the Wellness Center spread awareness about campus resources. 

Krivoshey said the university is trying a variety of different ways to educate students on the importance of Narcan, including social media and posters around campus. 

For further resources, visit the Wellness Center website or Instagram @loyolawellnesscenter. 

Featured Image by Rachael Wexler / The Phoenix