Real People Theatre Company’s show for York International Women’s Week

This will be the 16th consecutive year that the York company has created a performance for the event and this year the cast are grasping the nettle of death and ways of coping with dying as their theme in Exit.

Effie Arestides, Mitzi Blennerhassett, Rachel Jenkins, Helen Kettleboro, Ann Murray, Susan Saunders and June Whittaker will be taking part in the shows, along with artistic director Sue Lister, at York St John University on Monday and Tuesday and Priory Street Centre on March 14.

On Ilkla Moor Baht ‘at will open Exit with its Yorkshire view of the cyclical nature of death; Sarah Dean will contribute two songs with her harp at York St John and Jane Stockdale and Chris Bartram will take over for the Saturday show, which is being held as a benefit for Healthwatch York.

“This production is very timely with Lord Falconer’s Assisted Dying Bill having passed through the House of Lords and now awaiting a proper debate in the House of Commons,” says Sue Lister.

“There has been much public debate in the media with stories of huge courage in the face of prolonged suffering, such as Tony Nicklinson and Debbie Purdy, and the recent BBC Reith Lectures.

“Then there was the Guardian article on February 20 by Tim Lott under the heading ‘Don’t be scared of death. It’s what makes life worth living’, where he argues that just because doctors can prolong life, it doesn’t mean that they should. It’s quality of life that counts, not quantity, and that assessment is up to the individual concerned. Tom Stoppard wrote a play many years ago that sums it up: Whose Life Is it Anyway?”

Sue draws attention to the thoughts of Oliver Sacks, who, on learning of his terminal cancer at 81, wrote: “There will be no one like us when we are gone, but then there is no one like anyone else, ever. When people die, they cannot be replaced. They leave holes that cannot be filled, for it is the fate – the genetic and neural fate – of every human being to be a unique individual, to find his own path, to live his own life, to die his own death.

“I cannot pretend I am without fear. But my predominant feeling is one of gratitude. I have loved and been loved; I have been given much and I have given something in return. Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure.”

Exit will include time for reflection on how different cultures have treated death through the centuries and across the world. “There will be opportunities for audience interaction in a couple of scenarios, and we will invite audience discussion at the end, when we ask how can we deal with mortality and celebrate life in the process?” says Sue.

Monday and Tuesday’s performances will start at 7.30 pm in Theatre Studio 3 at York St John University; March 14, at 2 pm, at the Priory Street Centre. Tickets for all shows will be available at the door at £5, concessions £4.

“This is a subject that affects every single one of us yet we tend to sweep it under the carpet. The Assisted Dying Bill has made it front page news and over 80 per cent of the British public are in favour of a change in the law,” says Sue, who is part of a Dignity in Dying Yorkshire group.

“Don’t miss this opportunity to bring it into the open as we consider the whole question of death as part of life. Our show will take no sides; we invite discussion and reflection from all points of view. The door is open; let’s hope the seats are full.”