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An open letter

from Luce Botte-Castaldi

Dearest Friend,

When you contacted me to see if I would like to accompany you to the opening night performance of a NWTC production of a play about breast cancer, I thought: “Are we crazy?!” You and I live this theme day in and day out for months and months and months, indeed for the rest of our lives. And you think it’s a good idea to devote an evening’s worth of energy (because it’s not the time, really; it’s the level of available energy) to participate in yet another exploration of this disease??

Well, dear friend, I am happy to report that you were right once again. The performance of Tissue was a true pleasure. Written by Louise Page, directed by Wendy Dunning-Baker, and produced by the New World Theatre Club, Tissue was performed at the Théâtre du Centaure on the Grand rue in Luxembourg-Ville on the 14 – 19 of November, 2007.

But it started many years ago, in 1978 in fact, when the writer, Louise Page, was commissioned to write a play about women. And to quote the Director’s notes in the program: “She particularly wanted to write a play about a hidden problem for women as opposed to something more outwardly obvious.” And that, to me, is a vital piece of information to view the play in its correct historical perspective.

Who was writing about this topic at that time? It was a totally “hidden problem” that brought a deathly shudder of disaster and fear to those involved. The available medications and treatment methods were as difficult as the disease itself. Today we are blessed with advanced research and technology, based in great part on the clinical trails of those earlier women. A phrase that I encountered in my research and that has stayed with me in a humble and comforting way is that “we are standing on the shoulders of the women who have come before.”

And this production is indeed a joyful and fitting homage to celebrate the courage, humour, and humanity of those women, all rolled up into the character of Sally, bravely played by Fran Potasnik. Covered all in white, looking so tiny in a large chair up-stage center when the lights came up, she was the picture of vulnerability. And on-stage Fran remained, scene after scene, in a whirl of brief moments of Sally’s life, forward, backward, jumping in time, interacting with various relationships of her past and present, each scene lasting only a few moments before being catapulted into the next, with no chronological sequence to hold on to. A difficult job well done. The audience was able to ride that roller coaster of events, with Fran clearly providing the emotional focus so we didn’t get lost. The final image of her, eyes gleaming and full of hope, facing up into the light with darkness all around her, was deeply moving. It says it all: we must keep moving forward.

Also indispensable to the audience’s smooth journey through the play, was the intricate positioning provided by the lighting design. Les Wilson’s lights provided the map with sufficient clues to guide our attention to each episode with not a second lost; essential to the over-all timing and continuity of the piece.

How to describe the athletic versatility of the other two actors in this production is surely a challenge. Adrian Diffy and Niamh Huggard outdid their many, many selves on stage, providing moments of unique enjoyment, humour and pathos. They were able to create an ensemble feeling, as they tumbled fr0m character to character.

Niamh, portraying childhood friends Zoe and Fleur, provided that thread to Sally’s past that made her present all the more poignant. “I must, I must, I must increase my bust!” in an aerobic rhythm broke through the tension with great laughter and relief. With Niamh’s arresting eyes and a variety of lilting voices, she effectively carried us through her many characters, each contributing another jigsaw bit of information to bring the overall picture into focus. I particularly liked the jaded doctor’s secretary.

Artfully balanced between the two women on stage, the male presence of Adrian Diffy, in all his incarnations, was a satisfying completion of the trio. His great rubbery face, his ever-changing posture, expression and gesture provided great variety and understanding to the rapid flow of scenes. Father, brother Simon, various boyfriends appeared and disappeared in a flash, each distinct fr0m the other; appealing, generous, concerned characters. Adrian’s use of a prop, his hat, clutched in his hands with hunched shoulders and an uncertain step, was particularly effective in portraying the nervous tension and alarm this illness brings to families – the hesitation, not knowing what to do, what to say, wanting to help but feeling helpless. And then, the grateful release through humour: Adrian was funny!

The humour, pace and movement of the evening was a fine success due to the intelligent and able direction of Wendy Dunning-Baker. Wendy kept the piece on its feet, moving and entertaining, despite its serious content. That is quite a challenge with a brave choice of material. I loved the flowing use of the chairs: upstage, downstage, faced in every different direction, open, and even cleverly held closed in one scene. A young Sally, Simon and a friend frolicking on the very edge of the stage, so close and immediate, gave the audience the charm and invention of children at play with a spontaneous joy that was like opening a window of fresh air, relieving the hot-house tension of viewing a life with cancer. The use of a recorded scene that was only heard and not seen was also useful in giving distance to the intimacy of the play’s content. In all: good direction in threading together a breathless number of quick scenes at a pace that never broke stride.

Fr0m the opening music that gave us the heartbeat, all production elements worked in harmony to create a special and moving theatre experience. In addition, it was an opportunity to learn more about a disease that is being faced by an ever-increasing number of women.

Written as it was, almost 30 years ago, I would suggest an up-dated version; a nip and tuck to modernize pertinent content more in line with the situation of today. Tissue could then also be used as an education tool in many different venues (schools, hospitals, clinics) as a springboard of discussion for the general public, and more intimately for the now millions of families grappling with these issues. The structure of the play itself, the fact that it is divided into innumerable short scenes, lends itself easily into tailored and edited productions aimed at specific audiences. I could see that as having enormous instructive and therapeutic value, as well as continuing as a fine artistic accomplishment.

Thanks for a wonderful evening,

Luce

Why me? Why me!

“Tissue“: Scenes fr0m the life of a woman suffering fr0m breast cancer

Reviewed by Ronny Steinmetz, in The Luxembourger Wort 19/11/07 (translated fr0m German by Chris Albrecht)

The New World Theatre Club’s current production of the English language play Tissue by Louise Page at the Théâtre du Centaure theatre tackles the subject of breast cancer.

With such a difficult subject, the play could easily have been melodramatic and become disconnected fr0m its audience. However this production avoided these dangers.

Presented in the form of an objective narrative, Tissue highlights various moments in the life of Sally (Fran Potasnik), and her fight against breast cancer. The play covers her childhood and youth, when worries were distant, to the first doubts, not taken seriously, the operation and the ensuing physical and emotional hardship, up to the final acceptance of the condition.

A brilliant performance

The play’s non-linear structure, and the fact that the many different characters – parents, brother, friends, doctors, nurses etc. – were all played by Niamh Huggard and Adrian Diffey, made the play a challenge to act and to follow.

However, these difficulties were mastered with the help of impressive changes of character by the three actors, few but meaningful props (for example a stethoscope and a nurse’s cap), perfect diction in many different dialects and voice ranges, and a discreet but very effective set. The genuine and realistic nature of the characters enabled men as well as women to feel their way into Sally’s pain.

It is shocking to be confronted with the extent of the impact which a small piece of tissue can have on a woman’s life. Nevertheless, everyone affected by this problem should see Tissue because the author Louise Page shows so aptly not only how difficult the illness is to manage, but also the power of hope.

This fine performance received well-deserved and sustained applause fr0m a packed venue, and many theatre-goes will hope to see another New World Theatre Club performance in the not-too-distant future.

Last changed:Mar 13 2010at4:00 PM