A former fellow Florida State University School of Theatre student during the mid-1970s, lovely, talented actress Caris Corfman suffered a tragic and debilitating reversal of fortunes in 1993. Diagnosed with a brain tumor, four operations to remove the benign mass left her with a severe and unrepairable disability. She lost the functioning of the part of her brain that controls short term memory.  ...  show all 

A former fellow Florida State University School of Theatre student during the mid-1970s, lovely, talented actress Caris Corfman suffered a tragic and debilitating reversal of fortunes in 1993. Diagnosed with a brain tumor, four operations to remove the benign mass left her with a severe and unrepairable disability. She lost the functioning of the part of her brain that controls short term memory. As a result, she can no longer memorize new lines. What is most amazing is that she can still repeat verbatim passages or monologues she learned years and years before her operation. In a bravura turn, Ms. Corfman recently returned to the stage after over a decade (Flea Theater in Lower Manhattan, October 2005) in an amazing and spiritually rewarding one-woman show entitled "Caris' Peace," in which she talks (via the use of index cards to help keep her focus and continuity of what she covered earlier) about her life and illness, before and after. As writer David Carr expressed in an article about Caris and her showcase, "Her performance is about why she can no longer perform." A filmed documentary is in the process on Caris' story and personal battles. It is obvious to me that this incredibly courageous woman has not forgotten the love and passion she has always had for the theatre. The Boston-born actress was born in 1955 and arrived at FSU in the mid-1970s, about the same time as myself. Her talent was obvious from the start. Her showcases while there ranged from a lovely and tender performance as Laura in "The Glass Menagerie" to a daring feminist production of "The Taming of the Shrew" in which the actresses took on the male roles and vice versa. Caris played one of the transgendered leads with consummate energy, poise and skill. Also appearing in that very cast was another of New York's future preeminent actresses J. Smith-Cameron. One was instantly struck by Caris' natural and vibrant beauty...so alive, so mesmerizing, with a head full of gorgeous blonde ringlets, two prominent cheekbones and a quick, Cheshire-cat smile. She was one of those people who drew an audience whenever she entered a room. People wanted to know her. Following FSU, Caris attended the Yale School of Drama. She made her off-Broadway debut in the critically-acclaimed production of "Wings" (1978), which was part of Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival. She also earned outstanding notices for her role as Emma in the Yale Repertory Theatre's production of "Curse of the Starving Class" in 1980. One of her crowning moments was creating the role of Katherina Cavalieri, Salieri's music pupil, in the original Broadway production of "Amadeus" (1980) starring Ian McKellen. Within a few months, she had succeeded Jane Seymour in the leading femme role of Mozart's wife, Constanze Weber. Caris continued to demonstrate break-out promise throughout the 80s in a number of original contemporary plays such as "Fish Riding Bikes," "The Sleep of Reason," "Filthy Rich," "Exact Change," "Fathers and Sons," "The Voysey Inheritance," "Dream of a Common Language" and "All This and Moonlight." She also worked with many prominent actors of her equal over the years, including 'David Groh' (qv ) and the ever-so-eccentric Sylvia Miles in "Tea with Mommy and Jack"; David Strathairn in "The Cezanne Syndrome"; Robert Lansing , Barbara Barrie and fellow FSU alumnus J. Smith-Cameron in "Mi Vida Loca"; Christian Slater in "Dry Land"; and Samuel L. Jackson and Jimmy Smits in "Native Speech." Caris was a guest artist at such prestigious repertory theatres as the Arena Stage, and displayed a strong handle on the classics over the years in productions such as O'Neill's "Anna Christie," Shakespeare's "Henry IV Parts I and I" and Congreve's "The Way of the World." Although she made less than a handful of films, one needs to look no further in scouting out her possible leading lady potential than with her prime role in the intriguing British period piece "Dreamchild (1985)" starring Ian Holm as Lewis ("Alice in Wonderland") Carroll and the late Coral Browne as Alice Hargreaves, Carroll's inspiration for his "Alice" tales. As for TV, it was that medium's loss that she was not utilized as much. It didn't matter for Caris' first love was the theatre. In 1993, following a role in the movie "The Pickle (1993)" starring Danny Aiello, Caris' professional journey came to an end. Since then her life has been about recovery, rehabilitation and survival. Until now. Her awe-inspiring one-woman show is living proof of the power of love...and belief. I still have the good fortune that Caris might remember me as a former FSU classmate. Perhaps not. The important thing for me is that I remember HER. I remember her beauty (both inside and out), her charisma, her skill and her amazing drive. May God bless her. (Note: On January 13, 2007, Caris passed away peacefully in her sleep at age 51. She will be deeply missed by both friends and actors who knew and worked with her.)
In 1993, her life and career hit a devastating snag when, after the removal of a brain tumor, she was left without the capacity for short term memory. She struggles to this day with the inability to retain most new memories. Her life story is documented in the POV film, "Caris's Peace," (2005) directed and produced by Gaylen Ross.
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