Dementia Man playwright aims to challenge “tragedy narrative”

Samuel Simon is a prominent consumer rights campaigner in the US who turned to theatre to help process his wife’s cancer diagnosis, and later, his own experience with early-stage Alzheimer’s. Here he shares his story with NR Times. 

Samuel Simon, 77, is a founding member of Nader's Raiders, a renowned public interest and advocacy group spearheaded by Ralph Nader in the 1970s. Samuel played a pivotal role in pushing for consumer protection and anti-trust enforcement reforms within the Federal Trade Commission.

Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, he pursued a career in law and found himself immersed in the world of public interest law during a time when it was still a nascent concept. Samuel's involvement with Nader's consumer movement catapulted him into the national spotlight, earning recognition in major media outlets, including the New York Times.

His life took a turn for the worse when his wife was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer in 2000. During this time, he grappled with the impending loss of his partner, an experience that later influenced his decision to begin his “fourth age of life” as a playwright and performer.