In the snow and cold of last January a group of brave individuals from across the south-east commenced a courageous journey in Kilkenny.
Responding to a call to participate in research for the development of a play about chronic illness, 18 people made their way through treacherous conditions to participate in writing and theatre-based workshops with playwright Rebecca Moran.
Nearly a year later, the creative collaboration between Rebecca Moran and ultimately 61 participants has come full circle with the premiere of the radio play A Time for Hope and Desperation being broadcast on KCLR96FM, on December 29 at 8pm.
From laughter and love to frustration and fear, A Time for Hope and Desperation offers an insightful and candid artistic interpretation of the issues affecting those who live with %chronic illness. It is a distinctive fictional exploration of the many aspects of life with a chronic illness, inspired and commissioned by the Callan-based chronic illness self- management course, Ceart PatientWise.
Through a series of monologues artistically woven together, the play aspires to give a voice to the myriad of usually unspoken thoughts and emotions affecting those with chronic illness and their carers, family, and friends, and it is occasionally punctuated by the sounds, voices, and interruptions of illness itself.
The play balances love, humour, intimacy, and friendship with the sometimes dark reality of chronic illness, with one character summing up her own journey with chronic illness in saying, ‘it changed my life, but not who I am’.
This successful collaboration between a professional artist and the wider community is one that highlights the benefits of arts participation for all involved, and the power such a partnership can have for the artist and the community. It is a high quality artistic outcome that could not have come to fruition without the support of so many.
Playwright and director Rebecca Moran, in conjunction with Ceart PatientWise, received funding from the Arts Council’s Artist in the Community Scheme, managed by Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts, to research, develop, write, rehearse, and record this inspiring Chronic Illness Radio Play. KCLR96FM has generously supported and sponsored the project throughout. As the project has grown, support has also grown, to include both practical and financial donations from individuals and organisations such as: the Irish Wheelchair Association, the Citizen’s Information Board, the Centre for Independent Living, GROW, the Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel, Chuffey Media, Mundipharma Pharmaceuticals, and KATS.
The initial broadcast of the play on KCLR96FM will take place on the 29th of December, 2010 from 8-9pm. The play will be aired again on January 2, from 8-9pm, after which it will be available to listen to online at kclr96fm.com
For more information about the project contact Anne Cody at Ceart Patientwise at 087 9028534 or email annecody@ceart.ie.
