Q&A with Bonita Gregson (Ensemble)

Q: Why is it important for this story to be told today?

A: One of the central themes of this play is the hazards of dehumanizing people, whether it be in healthcare or academia as in the play or technology.  There is a human being behind every patient, student, or social media profile.  To quote Wit, now is the time for kindness. Also cancer is so prevalent that likely many of us know someone affected by it. 

Q: How does your character fit into the end of Vivian's life journey? 

A: The author writes the ensemble as part of telling the arc of Vivian’s life, whether we are seeing her as a physician as just another data point for research, one of her students as Vivian harshly lectures at us in a flashback, or as the Code Team at the finale of her journey. 

Q: What is the overall heart of this story?

A: There is a lot to unpack in this story, and each time I engage with the text or my fellow actors, I discover something new, another layer of interpretation. This play Vivian staring down life and death, a puzzle as unsolvable as the John Donne poem that she has devoted her life to, grappling with her own Salvation Anxiety. Wit also exploring the shields we erect around us like wit is for Vivian, a shield that holds her at arms length from other people. 

Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from this experience?

A: Since this play is multilayered, each person will likely come away with their own emotional reactions. Some of the most poignant scenes that resonated with me are the moments of sweetness: a shared popsicle, a bedtime story with unexpected depth- that solidify the impact of a simple act of kindness. 

Q&A with Tammy Mulrooney (Ensemble)

Q: Why is it important for this story to be told today?

A: “This story is a bit transcendent. It's important to tell it because it speaks to the human experience in one of the most vulnerable moments someone can endure and tells a tale of how compassion and empathy, for oneself and others, can be hugely transformational.”

Q: How does your character fit into the end of Vivian's life journey? 

A: “My characters throughout the story partake in Vivian's journey by showcasing how her interactions with others shaped who she is at the time the audience meets her. In the present, we outline how rough the journey through disease can be and how a lack of caring for others can make that journey much more challenging. In Vivian's reflections on her past, the characters I get to play showcase how her interactions with others established her renown as a tough-as-nails professor who doesn't have many close relationships. We help highlight how she became the person she is and help demonstrate the ache she feels in wanting connections with others as she nears the end of her life.”

Q: What is the overall heart of this story?

A: “This answer might be different for each actor in this show, but I think that's okay. For me, the heart of the story is about being compassionate to oneself and others. It's about being okay with being vulnerable and finding fortitude to break down barriers and connect with others, especially in times of strife. In short, it's okay to not be okay.”

Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from this experience?

A: “I hope that the audience is inspired by this story to have a conversation with someone beyond, "Hi. How are you feeling today?" and really be invested in listening to the response. This play should inspire us all to engage more fully with the people around us and develop meaningful and supportive relationships with others.”

Q&A with Brodey Ott (Ensemble)

Q: Why is it important for this story to be told today?

A: “Wit is an important story because it reminds us to live each day to the fullest and to look for the humanity in every person we meet.”

Q: How does your character fit into the end of Vivian's life journey? 

A: “As part of the ensemble, I play various lab technicians, clinical fellows, and students Vivian encountered throughout her cancer treatment and her career as a professor. I like to think of my characters as some of the nameless faces who stand out in Vivian's mind; the people who made an impact on Vivian (for better or worse) even if they only knew her for a passing moment.”

Q: What is the overall heart of this story?

A: “I think the overall heart of Wit is to always look for the humanity in others, no matter the situation.”

Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from this experience?

A: “Live and love life to the fullest.”

Q&A with Steve Benko (Mr. Bearing)

Q: Why is it important for this story to be told today?

A: “The literary analysis website enotes.com describes Donne's sonnets thus: "The poems are a record of a soul’s quest to demonstrate and to experience faith, and the language and imagery convey a struggle to resolve deep conflicts. The struggle is marked by anguish and, at times, despair." This play places that timeless theme in the context of high-tech modern medicine in a life-and-death situation.”

Q: How does your character fit into the end of Vivian's life journey?

A: “My character, her father, launches her in her life journey in a way that echoes throughout. Intellectually stimulating but emotionally distant in his relationship with her, she becomes the same, a professor whose students find her brilliant and challenging but difficult. Then the tables are turned once again when one of her students becomes a medical researcher and treats her essentially like a lab rat.”

Q: What is the overall heart of this story?

A: “It's the tension of the poetry of her soul's struggle in facing death as expressed through the sonnets with the coldness of the modern medical treatment and research environment.”

Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from this experience?

A: “Life is precious and brief; love your children, love your students, your teachers, your patients, your doctors. Never fail to connect connect connect on a human level wherever you can to find your place in the world, as whatever you put out there comes back in circular fashion.”

Q&A with Marilyn Olsen (E. M. Ashford, D.Phil.)

Q: Why is it important for this story to be told today?

A: “This story is intensely personal to me. As a medical professional, I deal with end of life issues on a daily basis.  Americans DO NOT do this well! If seeing “Wit” opens conversations about how a family member or loved one or oneself wants to spend their last days it will be a huge success in my eyes. These preferences are sacred. Sacred means we all need to not only be aware of what we want, we must then respect what our loved ones want. Yes, even if we disagree.”

Q: How does your character fit into the end of Vivian's life journey? 

A: “The character of E.M. Ashford is only briefly seen by the audience, but has had a profound effect on the central character’s (Vivian) entire adult life. We hear almost nothing about Vivian’s mother, and Vivian is so fiercely independent that she is not one to either trust or look up to anyone, but she truly respects and admires Ashford, her former professor. As an actor, I believe that EM Ashford is the mother figure of the piece and as such is a rare soothing presence in Vivian’s last moments.” 

Q: What is the overall heart of this story?

A: “When describing the theme of this show, “It’s about a woman that is dying of ovarian cancer,” most people suddenly have a deer in the headlights look. Sounds..... depressing, right? Wrong! “Wit” is not bleak, it is uplifting, thought provoking and powerful. Not sad. Not bleak. Beautiful.”

Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from this experience?

A: “Taking the terror out of the transition between life and life everlasting is a profound mystery in life. We need to make it a comma, not a semicolon. If that analogy is puzzling, come see Wit and it will become crystal clear!”

Q&A with Amanda Brenner (Susie Monahan, R.N., B.S.N.)

Q: Why is it important for this story to be told today?

A: “The healthcare industry is growing, there are more and more jobs available, and there is temptation to enter the field and earn a steady paycheck. I think this story is timely because it addresses the failures of the professionals who breeze through their courses on bedside manner, thinking that it is a throwaway lesson. The best healthcare professionals have people skills first and foremost.”

Q: How does your character fit into the end of Vivian's life journey? 

A: “Susie is the only dose of kindness in this world. We have a fascinating main character who has sacrificed compassion for demanding, uncompromising intellect. Unlike a lot of other shows, we cannot look to the lead as an example of morality. Susie allows Vivian to finally find her vulnerability, even if it comes so close to her death.”

Q: What is the overall heart of this story?

A: “Though Vivian may shudder at it, I think the heart of the story is gallows humor.”

Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from this experience?

A: “I hope the audience comes to the conclusion that we are all equals in the face of pain, sickness, and death.”

Q&A with Eric Dino (Harvey Kelekian, M.D.)

Q: Why is it important for this story to be told today?

A: “Cancer in one way or another affects everyone at some point. Sadly this story is not “timely” but timeless.”

Q: How does your character fit into the end of Vivian's life journey?

A: “I play the Head of Medical Oncology and Vivian’s Doctor and Cancer researcher. I oversee her treatment all while researching a series of newly developed Chemotherapy drugs. A delicate balance.”

Q: What is the overall heart of this story?

A: “It sounds strange but for me the heart of this story is Vivian’s mind. Her personal thoughts as told to the audience as she faces life and death.”

Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from this experience?

A: “For those that haven’t dealt with Cancer on a personal level, it will be quite in your face about how horrible it is, but also the medical treatment of it. You will also see there is more to Vivian’s back story and the medical team assigned to care for her. Each character will strike a chord. It’s real and raw. So much to say...such a powerful piece.”

Q&A with Monica O'Brien (Vivian Bearing, Ph.D.)

Q: Why is it important for this story to be told today?

A: “It will always be important to show the effect of human kindness or lack of it in our world. This story is not just about a woman with cancer. It shows a need to accept our vulnerabilities and allow for others to enter our world and help. The play also reflects on why it is so important, that no matter how grand or subtle, we must be kind and show people they are important. It is all about making connections and as Vivian says.."dare I say it,....kindness". Our life, in the end, will be measured by this.”

Q: How do you feel Vivian's end of life journey is impacted by those around her?

A: I read an interview with the author and she said so simply, "In the end, one is left with the feeling that the main character of the play is being 'healed, not cured'. " As Vivian reflects on her life through the play the audience is given a glimpse into what shaped her, and why she is who she is. But as Vivian herself begins to discover how fleeting life is, she begins to reach out for comfort and allows herself to break her persona and be vulnerable. In the end, she craves human comfort.

Q: What is the overall heart of this story?

A: It is right there in the script for me, "Nothing but a breath–a comma–separates life from life everlasting. It is very simple really."

Life really is so very short....it is fleeting, and we waste so much time on nonsense. This story shows that there is so much more to life than your job, your education or degree. It is about how you spend your time here before you must leave and go on your next journey.

Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from this experience?  

A: I hope people will see that it took Vivian's entire life, well, actually having to face her death, to realize how important the human connection is and how valuable life is and that it should be cherished. It didn't matter how smart she was, in the end, the fact that she just "is" has meaning. We live in such a fast-paced world of convenience, where life does not seem to have great value and I hope, if anything, people will go home and love their families and take the time to make those connections. All life has value.