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| Wit is at the Abbey Theatre Studio |
Written by Margaret Edson, Wit is about a woman dying of cancer yet, despite its subject matter, it is a play which is full of humour.
Jill watched a close friend fight cancer for 10 years before dying in a motorcycle accident. She believes he taught her many things which she is remembering and drawing on to play the part of Vivian.
She said: "He would often comment how weird it was that the minute people found out he had terminal cancer, they wouldn't know what to say to him. As he said, he was still the same person, he just knew he was dying - but we are all dying."
Jill saw him in great pain and morphined up to the eyeballs but he always retained his sense of humour and she has found that Vivian is the same. She said: "Despite the pain and indignities of her illness, she remains 'witty' to the end. And that is what the play is about - the strength of the human spirit, the amazing resilience of the soul, the need for simplicity and kindness in the face of death."
The Company of Ten has also had its choice of Wit endorsed by Grove House, the St Albans day hospice.
PR co-ordinator Sarah Higginson said: "Cancer touches everyone in our community. We see that all too well in our daily work at the hospice.
"We make it a mission to spread awareness about different types of cancer and their causes and symptoms and we applaud the Company of Ten's efforts to bring the topic of terminal cancer to the attention of the public."
Wit can be seen in the Abbey Theatre Studio at Westminster Lodge, St Albans, from tomorrow (Friday 23 March) until March 31. Tickets are available from the box office on 01727 857861.
© Herts Advertiser 2007. Reproduced by permission