After the production of “Wit,” a play following the journey of a professor diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer, the curtain didn’t fall.

The stage was left open to display two green, skid-resistant hospital socks, a gown and an empty hospital bed. Those remaining in the audience at the Red House Arts Center prepared to begin The Talkback Series. Partnered with speakers and participants from Syracuse University, Crouse Hospital, Le Moyne College and Onondaga Community College, The Talkback Series featureda discussion with a guest speaker after each performance.

“Wit,” running through Feb. 2 in downtown Syracuse, ties in metaphysical poetry and an investigation of mortality into its plot. A cast of nine utilized the intimate space of the Red House to portray scenes of fear, struggle and realization.

SU professor of social work Eric Kingson will be moderating a future post-show talkback. The author of two books, “Lessons from Joan – Living and Loving with Cancer, A Husband’s Story” and “In Our Own Words: Stories of Children Experiencing Serious Illness,” Kingson has experienced firsthand the effect of the experiences explored in the play.

“It’s a very human experience,” Kingson said. “A lot of growth can take place as people die.”

“Wit” follows Vivian Bearing, played by Laura Austin, as she struggles to hold onto her identity as a scholar and teacher throughout the development of her disease. She opens the show with a direct address to her confidant, the audience.

Co-founder and artistic director of Red House, Austin said she began preparing for the role in October, knowing it would be a big undertaking.

Written as a one-act performance by Margaret Edson, “Wit” won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1999. The plot of the show revolved around the theme of punctuation. One scene shows a scholarly debate about the use of a semicolon or comma in John Donne’s Holy Sonnet 10 beginning “Death be not proud.” A vivid memory for the protagonist, this becomes an inspiration for her own life-and-death experiences.

“It’s very much a part of the play,” said Red House education coordinator Marguerite Mitchell-Sundberg. “Death is a breath between two ideas, two states of being.”

The play also satirically addresses patient care issues. The necessities of “clinical” care are comedic to the audience as Austin’s character regurgitates her name and her doctor’s name to the hospital staff repetitively.

“It’s not only about the grieving process but it’s also a really great play to show the flaws in the medical system,” said Mitchell-Sundberg.

The title “Wit” refers to the intelligence of the patient, who clings to her past dignity, experiences and education despite the challenging circumstances she faces. Identifying with the challenges in the play, some audience members revealed undergoing or watching similar scenes unfold in their own lives during the post-show Q-and-A session.

“Theater is great for creating a place for dialogue,” said Austin, adding it “gives people time to talk and process.”

This weekend’s Talkback Series was hosted by Rev. Roko Sherry Chayat, a Rinzai Zen Master, and Ginger Denny, president and support group facilitator at Grace’s Gardens, a nonprofit organization that offers women support while battling gynecological cancers.

“The play is really about how intelligence and knowledge are not the same as wisdom — how wit can circumvent compassion,” said Chayat during the Talkback session.

Denny’s work at Grace’s Gardens includes meetings with those dealing with gynecological cancers. She offers meetings, education and fellowship to women in the Central New York area.

“Sometimes you get so caught up (that) you kind of forget,” Denny, a cancer survivor herself, said to the audience. “You get worried about things that don’t matter.”

A table outside after the production offered pamphlets and cards with information about ovarian cancer and its warning signs.

With a running time of 1 hour, 40 minutes, “Wit” runs for one more weekend at Red House with performances on Jan. 30 at 8 p.m., Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 2 at 2 p.m.

Published on January 27, 2013 at 8:58 pm

Contact Adelyn: albieden@syr.edu