NOT DYING

AKA ‘Quality of Life is Not a Measurable Outcome’

This solo show was originally developed through the Barbican OpenLab programme in 2018, and was first staged at the Lyric Hammersmith and Barbican Centre in 2019 directed by Kate O’Donnell. It was a solo poetry show about facing critical illness, surviving – and instead, having to face the wider world.

In 2021, it was brought back into development through an ACE-funded R&D process, directed by Athena Stevens, and then staged at HOME Manchester.

During that R&D, it went from being a solo poetry show, to a 3-4 hander bilingual piece in spoken English and BSL, focusing on the idea that quality of life is not a measurable outcome – and that whilst the health service might keep people alive, are we given the support we need for those lives to be meaningful?

We are currently developing this further, aiming for a main-stage show in 2024, with a complete cast.

If you’re interested in working with us on this…