The Performance of Dying

Those who have seen the Vagina Monologues will appreciate the poignancy of a collation of monologues or dialogues about an emotive and sometimes taboo subject. In a similar fashion, Nell Dunns Cancer Tales uses the stories of seven women and one man whose lives have been affected by cancer. They relate their stories, the way in which cancer affected their lives and relationships, and the interactions they had with doctors.

FRANK BARON/GUARDIAN

Nell Dunn, author of Cancer Tales

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An excerpt from Cancer Tales was one of the four pieces of theatre used in The Performance of Dying, a session run jointly by Kings College London and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts as part of their “Art of Dying” series. Each of the four plays (Cancer Tales, Spoonface Steinberg, Tis Pity Shes a Whore, and Tomorrows News) illuminated the variety of different emotions involved in dying, and the little things that make a difference.

Spoonface Steinberg told the story of an 8 year old girl with terminal cancer and aimed to show us her insight into death. She compared her death to an opera. She would be the prima donna, and her death would be beautiful, as shown by the beautiful music. We are often surprised by the coping mechanisms that children have and by their insight into death. Children feel more protected as they believe in their parents, God, and doctors more than adults do. They do not judge death and as a result are not as scared as we expect them to be. Spoonface Steinberg showed, however, that children exhibit a wide range of emotions, and each child copes with death differently.

At the other end of the spectrum, Tomorrows News told the story of the violent attempted murder of Germanys longest held political prisoner, Irmgard Moeller, while she was in prison in 1977. The excerpt was an evocative narrative of the physical pain and torture she suffered, told in minute detail. Each emotion she felt and vivid descriptions of the violence used against her were narrated. Tomorrows News demonstrated how drama can induce powerful emotions in the audience through graphic descriptions of violence. It made the audience question whether it is the thought of pain or death that is worse and whether this is a true reflection of how people view death.

We are constantly trying to make death nicer. The excerpt used from Cancer Tales allowed the audience to consider what the ingredients of a “good death” are. It told the story of a young man who died of cancer; how his mother tried to support him and how she coped, even though she refused to admit that he had cancer. Prominent themes were time, building relationships with loved ones, and normality. She showed that her son continued to be the same person until the end, and their relationship meant that she could treat him as such.

As medical students, we regularly face death and have to comfort and interact with people who have just heard they are dying or are struggling through a terminal illness, and with relatives who are trying to cope and be supportive. Each person needs a very different approach, and it is difficult for us to know exactly how to act in each situation.

This is where drama might help. Death has been central to the performing arts for centuries. It has been portrayed in a variety of ways, from violent and heroic to unnatural or purely mundane. Exposure to a wide variety of plays that explore the issues surrounding death can provide us, as medics, with a valuable insight into the vast range of emotions people experience when dying or faced with death. It can also show us how the general public envisages death since drama both reflects and moulds how people view death.

The discussion at The Performance of Dying showed that people are fascinated and scared by death. As Peter Pan said, “To die will be an awfully big adventure.” We are constantly searching for the ingredients of a “good death.” This is where drama can help prepare medics to support patients and their families. Whether it is through more exposure to plays such as Cancer Tales, or by more use of actors in communications skills sessions, the consensus was that drama certainly has a valuable place in medical education.