Naperville Central tackles end-of-life issues in 'Whose Life Is It Anyway?'
Theater students at Naperville Central High School will face one of their toughest tests this weekend with a production that pushes characters to explore end-of-life issues.
Themes of death and human dignity will challenge the cast this weekend in “Whose Life Is It Anyway?” a play about a quadriplegic man seeking to end his life.
If the theme wasn't challenging enough, the production constrains its main character to a hospital bed, even as the audience files into the auditorium 30 minutes before the opening scene.
“It's really acting in a very raw form,” said Michael Vitello, who plays the bed-bound Ken Harrison for two of the shows.
Director Tom Ulbrich says guiding his student cast through staging the controversial script was a challenge on many levels.
“It's a very personal show for me,” Ulbrich said.
Huntington's disease, a degenerative illness of the brain, forced Ulbrich's late wife to require round-the-clock care and spend six years in a nursing home. She told her husband she would have thought about assisted suicide if the couple had lived in a state that legalized it, so “she did not have to go through the degradation of slowly wasting away,” Ulbrich said.
Scenes where Ken confronts a social worker to treat him “like a human being” particularly resonated with Ulbrich.
“So often in the nursing homes, I would see people just thrown away,” he said.
But as tough as the subject was for him, Ulbrich said the way his students have handled it has impressed him.
He wanted to produce well-rounded performers who could tackle dramatic roles, and he thinks he has.
“Every day, they surprise me with their understanding,” said Ulbrich, who's added a second cast to perform two of the shows.
During rehearsals, Ulbrich poses questions to his cast to encourage debate.
“It gives them ownership of those characters,” he said.
Through teaching, Ulbrich said he's discovered a cathartic process for his own experiences.
“Let's use theater to get people to think about things and to open up a dialogue and talk about some very important issues,” he said.
Tickets are $5 and sold at the door. The production opens at 7:30 p.m. today and continues at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday in the school auditorium, 440 W. Aurora Ave.
Central cast
<b>Cast for Thursday and Saturday</b>
Ken Harrison: Michael Vitello
Sister Anderson: Sara Geist
Kay Sadler: Sabrina Gomez
John: Joey Williams
Dr. Joan Scott: Megan Lipski
Dr. Michael Emerson: Nick Ciliak
Mrs. Gillian Boyle: Sofia Jones
Philip Hill: Kyle Bricker
Dr. Paula Travers: Amy Ross
Patricia Kershaw: Nicole McCallion
Mr. Justice Millhouse: Jake Barber
Andrew Eden: Eric Zavoral
Dr. Barr: Abby Fleischmann
<b>Cast for Friday and Sunday</b>
Ken Harrison: Nick Radmer
Sister Anderson: Krissy Ludlam
Kay Sadler: Caroline Broderick
John: Chris Johnson
Dr. Joan Scott: Olivia Cuff
Dr. Michael Emerson: Tom Wojcik
Mrs. Gillian Boyle: CJ Pokrzywinski
Philip Hill: Danny Peterson
Dr. Paula Travers: Alexis Thies
Patricia Kershaw: Liz Assalley
Ms. Justice Millhouse: April Flint
Andrea Eden: Deanna Marciniak
Dr. Barr: Morgan Milmore