Looking to honor National Hospice Month, Calloway County’s Playhouse in the Park’s senior acting troupe — “Old Duffers and Powder Puffers” — is presenting two performances of The Way Home.
Planned for 6 PM November 30 at First Presbyterian Church and a 2 PM matinee December 1 at the Playhouse, it’s a spoken-word opera penned by poet, playwright, fiction writer and civic journalist Constance Alexander.
Playing reading roles should be familiar faces to News Edge listeners, including Beth Buchanan, Nancy Dycus, Marci Edmonds, Shirley Johnson, Gerry Mellon and Joyce Morrison.
Performances are free, but donations are encouraged. A reception, hosted by Stables Realty Group, will follow each performance. Visitors will have opportunities to meet with the actors and the playwright in Alexander.
All proceeds go to the Anna Mae Owen Residential Hospice House, Calloway County’s newest such facility.
Alexander said that The Way Home draws inspirations from two women — one from Trigg County, and the other from Murray. They didn’t know each other, and never met, but each agreed to ongoing interviews about cancer diagnoses and treatment.
It’s from these interviews where Alexander drafted and published a series of newspaper articles and a radio documentary, “Promises to Keep,” that was broadcast on WKMS 91.3 FM — an NPR affiliate and official station of Murray State University.
One character, named Theresa, was developed from a stained-glass artist in Trigg County. Diagnosed with breast cancer at 39, surgery and successful treatment brought about ill-affordable health insurance because of pre-existing conditions. Cancer-free until 51, she was then diagnosed with ovarian cancer. In front of her: exorbitant medical costs and aggressive chemotherapy, neither of which come at a low cost.
The other character gleaned details from a senior citizen in Murray, whose breast cancer diagnosis was Stage IV. She’s a Medicare recipient, grateful she could afford health insurance for her treatment. When she read about the difficulties of the Trigg County woman, she contacted Alexander about starting a fundraising campaign to help defray the unbearable financial burden associated with cancer treatment.
More than $7,000 was raised for the woman from Cadiz and, in the end, both women were hospice patients.
Performed around the country — including Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana and New York — The Way Home raises money for local cancer patients or non-profits that cater to women’s health and the uninsured.
For more information about these productions, or their inspirations, contact Buchanan at mizzbee@live.com. Questions for the playwright may be emailed to constancealexander@twc.com.
