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24 Jan 2023
Interactive participatory performance Dying Matter has been selected for showcase at the upcoming Dying.Dialogue 2023 Symposium in Toronto. Lab4Living’s Prof Michael Tan, and Ashley Barnes developed the piece with Sheffield Hallam University Theatre students to explore ways to tackle the attitudinal barriers towards death and dying. It will be shown at Dying.Dialogues as a virtual performance on Fri 27 January 2023.
Dying Matter explores our struggles to talk openly about death. It considers the following questions:
When is a right time for us to think about our preferences for end of life care and talk about our wishes?
How important is it for us to relay this information to others, especially those who are closest to us? And how much do we know about their preferences and wishes?
The work uses monologues from lived experiences to engage the audience to reflect on the complex consequences of our reluctance to talk about death.
Related >> Death is part of life: Let’s talk about it
This research is a collaboration between Lab4Living’s Prof Michael Tan, Ashley Barnes (Head of SHU Stage and Screen), and SHU Theatre students Chris Ellis, Rachel Leung, Georgia Maddock, Ben Unsworth, SJ Harris, Connie Fiddament, and Holly Dixon. An initial sharing of the piece in a closed door session took place in the White Building in November 2022.
Project page >> Dying Matters