It was 2022 and the actress and playwright from the Pontifical Catholic University, Catalina Villanuevawas surprised with a diagnosis that – she had been assured – had only a 1% chance: Breast cancer. With no family history, a mother of two daughters and with an unrelenting health history, there were no reasons for her illness.
The experience, however, led her to address her illness from the stage and thus was born Apoptosis. Play that premiered at the end of October and that investigates the loneliness of the disease.
“I wrote this play while I was undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. It is a fiction, but it is filled with elements that I experienced during my treatment or that I observed in fellow cancer patients, which led me to wonder about the ethics of care. Illness is something that is shunned in our society, especially cancer, which appears as an undesirable and catastrophic stain that tests our bonds. The text is very much a purge of poison, although at its base it is a black comedy, which exposes the ironies that abound in the passage through this disease,” explains Villanueva.
The work shows the relationship between The Lady, sick with cancer, and her employee Mariángel, an immigrant, in charge of taking care of her and cleaning her, but who in her country of origin is a nurse by profession.
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The Lady suspects that Mariángel is stealing from her and together with her husband, The Lord (a left-wing politician and former constituent), they decide to separate her. The latter is in charge of breaking the news, but Mariángel refuses and reveals a truth that will have harsh consequences for the marriage.
With a duration of 75 minutes, the work premiered on October 24 at Sala Tessier -located at Dardignac 172, Recoleta- under the direction of actor Juan Francisco Olea, who comments that the “production goes beyond just a representation about cancer.”
“One of the successes of our staging is that the illness becomes a vehicle for the protagonist to reflect on her relationships with others, her environment and her history. Without a doubt, the work connects in a special way with those who have faced the disease, but it also invites us all to question our own path. We seek to focus the work on the human drama and the intricate power dynamics that arise in work, couple, and care relationships. In short, our work invites reflection on life, illness and interpersonal relationships, creating a space for dialogue and introspection,” adds Olea.
This Friday, November 8th and Saturday, November 9th -at 8:00 p.m.- are the last two functions of Apoptosis in the Tessier Room. Tickets are purchased through Ticketplus.
