Wheaton Drama to stage Pulitzer Prize winning 'Wit'

Wheaton Drama will present the Pulitzer Prize- winning drama "Wit" beginning Friday, Jan. 18, and continuing through Feb. 10.

Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays at Wheaton Drama's Playhouse 111 at 111 N. Hale St. in downtown Wheaton.

Tickets are available by phone at (630) 260-1820 or online at www.wheatondrama.org.

The play by Margaret Edson tells the story of Vivian Bearing, a literary professor and lover of the work of John Donne as she journeys through a reflection on her life and work after receiving a cancer diagnosis.

We recently sat down for a Q&A with director Lisa Dawn to learn about her process and hopes as leader of the production.

Q. What drew you to direct "Wit"?

A. I am always drawn to honest pieces (of theater). Pieces that look at the flaws as well as the incredible nature of humanity and the evolution we go through as humans because of the lives we lead and the paths we choose.

"Wit" isn't so much a play about a woman dying of cancer, as it is a play about a woman's journey into self ... realizing her own humanity and what about life makes it truly worth living.

Q. What is a piece of advice you give to your actors as they prepare for this difficult and emotional piece?

A. This is an emotional piece, yes, but Margaret Edson has written it with some really beautiful humor as well. So a big task is not to overlook that, and really not drown too deeply in the drama of it. Honesty and simplicity are the keys.

Q. Is there something you hope audiences will be able to learn from watching "Wit"?

A. There is strength in weakness and vulnerability, beauty in pain, and that we really don't know one without the other. That every moment, no matter how trying, is an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and to find deeper meaning in our lives. It should resonate a feeling of hope.