Photo by John Lamb

The state wants to commit a woman to a mental institution because her doctor, her parents and the prosecutor believe her behavior is wildly inappropriate for a lady of her upper class background. She is not demure and prim; she speaks her mind; she is brutally blunt about her sexual life, and those closest to her simply cannot accept that these are the actions of a rational mind. No, this isn't the 18th Century. It's 1979, and it's the crux of the conflict in Nuts at St. Louis Actors' Studio.

Nuts was a Broadway success in 1980 and a hit film starring Barbra Streisand and Richard Dreyfuss in 1987. While we can hope that our attitudes about mental illness - and, frankly, about women - have since changed for the better, it's still a harrowing story to watch. Where is the line between protection and imprisonment, whether it's drawn by one's family or one's government?

Playwright Tom Topor began his writing career as a journalist for the New York Post, covering the police beat and spending hours in courtrooms and psychiatric wards, eventually turning that experience into "ripped from the headlines" tales (such as Nuts and the film The Accused, starring Jodie Foster) long before Law and Order did the same for television.

Nuts, directed by Milt Zoth and starring Keith Thompson, William Roth, Alan McClintock, Donna Weinsting, John Contini, Steve Callahan, Rachel Visocan, Bob Harvey and Lara Buck, is the current offering of St. Louis Actors' Studio's "Law and Order" season and runs through October 23rd at The Gaslight Theatre - 360 North Boyle Avenue, next to the West End Grill and Pub. Tickets and information are available at St. Louis Actors' Studio's website and Facebook page.

We have all been misunderstood by those closest to us. Hopefully your experiences aren't as extreme as those exposed in Nuts, but you can share your own story by clicking on "Comments," below.