Stageworthy

Set in and around the Princess Margaret Hospital, the story of Alan and Moira exposes the harsh realities of the solitude and fears that accompany cancer treatment with brutal honesty and wry humour. Pettle’s writing comes from a place of awful familiarity, as he explains in his forward, "It’s July 15, 1995, and I’m back in the hospital - radioactive iodine therapy, cancer treatment’s answer to solitary confinement. Why did I write this play? I wrote it to survive days like this. [...] I wrote it not only for those who have passed on to other journeys, but for all those who remain in Therac corridors everywhere. People that are not just statistics in flimsy pamphlets or black numbers on manila envelopes, but individuals with brilliant minds and raging spirits, with awe-inspiring courage and beautiful children."It was the personal connection to this story that brought this production into existence and provides the motivation to engage in the realities of the content beyond the story-telling. As well as donati