Wit (play)
Encyclopedia
Wit is a play
written by American playwright Margaret Edson
. Edson used her work experience in a hospital as part of the inspiration for her play. Wit received its world premiere at South Coast Repertory
, Costa Mesa, California
, in 1995. Long Wharf Theater in New Haven, Connecticut
subsequently staged the play in November 1997, with Kathleen Chalfant
in the lead role. The play received its first New York City production in September 1998, at the MCC Theater
, with Chalfant reprising her lead performance as Vivian Bearing. An excerpt from the play was published in the New York Times in September 1998. Chalfant received strong praise for her performance. She also incorporated her own life experience into her work on the play, including the final illness and death of her brother Alan Palmer from cancer. The play moved to the Union Square Theater in December 1998, after its successful initial run in New York City.
Wit won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
. The play also received the "Best New Play" award for 1999 from the New York Drama Critics' Circle. Because the play did not receive a production at a Broadway theatre, Wit was not eligible for the Tony Award
s. Chalfant received an award from the Village Voice Obies for her performance. In 2001, the play was adapted into a cable television film
with Emma Thompson
as Vivian Bearing. A Broadway production is scheduled for a three month run starting in January 2012 starring Cynthia Nixon
and directed by Lynne Meadow
.
Elizabeth Klaver has discussed in detail the philosophical issues of "mind vs body" in the context of Wit.
On the cover of the published book of the play, the use of a semicolon in place of the letter i gives W;t as one representation of the play's title. In the context of the play, the semicolon refers to the recurring theme of the use of a semicolon versus a comma in one of John Donne's Holy Sonnets
. Both Wit and W;t have been used in various articles on the play for the title.
The play represents the last hours of Dr Vivian Bearing, a university
professor
of English
, dying of ovarian cancer
. She recalls the initial diagnosis of Stage IV metastatic ovarian cancer from her oncologist, Dr Harvey Kelekian. Dr Kelekian then proposes an experimental chemotherapeutic treatment
regimen consisting of eight rounds at full dosage. Vivian agrees to the treatment.
Over the course of the play, Vivian reflects on her life through the intricacies of the English language
, especially the use of wit
in the metaphysical poetry of John Donne
. Throughout the play, she recites Donne's Holy Sonnet X, "Death Be Not Proud," while reflecting upon her condition. (In the revised edition of John Donne's Holy Sonnets, "If Poysonous Mineralls" and "Death Be Not Proud" are sonnets V and VI, respectively.) In addition to her understanding of poetry, she has a reputation for her rigorous classes and demanding manner. She has spent most of her life preferring scholarship to humanity, and it's no accident that she is unmarried and without children, her parents are deceased, and she has no third-party person to contact.
Vivian recalls undergoing tests by various medical technicians and being the subject of grand rounds
. She remembers the first time that she acquired a love of books from her father, Mr Bearing, who helped her learn the fancy word at the beginning of Beatrix Potter's
The Tale of The Flopsy Bunnies
--soporific. She also flashes back to her experiences as a student of Dr E. M. Ashford, an expert on John Donne.
Bearing later finds herself under the care of Dr Jason Posner, an oncology research fellow who, liking a tough challenge and needing to show med schools how "well-rounded" he is, has taken her Donne class at the university. At the hospital, she recognizes that doctors are more interested in her for their research: they "read" her as she used to read literature. Both tend to leave out human beings. Gradually, she realizes that she would much prefer kindness to intellect.
Eventually, Vivian reaches the end stage in extreme pain as Susie Monahan, a nurse at the medical centre, offers Vivian such kindness, and mentions to her the option of exercising among medical emergency options either code blue or, more kindly, "do not resuscitate
" (DNR), in case of a severe decline in her condition. Vivian decides to mark the DNR option.
Dr Ashford, in town for her great-grandson's birthday, visits the hospital after learning of Vivian's cancer. She comforts her and offers to read to her a Donne sonnet, but Vivian, scarcely conscious, declines. Instead, Dr Ashford reads from Margaret Wise Brown
's The Runaway Bunny
, which she had bought for her great-grandson, and which, as she remarks, offers a lovely "allegory of the soul": Wherever the soul tries to hide, God, comfortingly, will find it. Thus Vivian's life with words, which has begun with Beatrix Potter's Benjamin Bunny, comes full circle with Brown's Runaway Bunny. Dr Ashford turns out to be the only visitor that Vivian receives.
Vivian then flatlines. Jason suddenly discovers this, tries to resuscitate her, and calls in a medical team to administer CPR. Susie tries to stop him, pointing out the DNR instruction. Jason eventually realises his mistake and calls for the CPR team to stop. The play ends as Vivian, unclothed after her death, walks from her hospital bed "toward a little light."
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
written by American playwright Margaret Edson
Margaret Edson
Margaret Edson is an American playwright. She graduated with a B.A. in Renaissance History from Smith College, and received a master's in English literature from Georgetown University...
. Edson used her work experience in a hospital as part of the inspiration for her play. Wit received its world premiere at South Coast Repertory
South Coast Repertory
South Coast Repertory is a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California.Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson and now under the leadership of Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Managing Director Paula Tomei, is widely...
, Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 census. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to a primarily suburban and "edge" city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light...
, in 1995. Long Wharf Theater in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
subsequently staged the play in November 1997, with Kathleen Chalfant
Kathleen Chalfant
-Life and career:Chalfant was born as in San Francisco, California and raised in her parents' boarding house in Oakland. Her father, William Bishop, was an officer in the Coast Guard...
in the lead role. The play received its first New York City production in September 1998, at the MCC Theater
MCC Theater
MCC Theater is an Off-Broadway theater company located in New York City, founded in 1986 by artistic directors Robert LuPone and Bernard Telsey along with six graduates of the New York University drama department, including Jana Herzen...
, with Chalfant reprising her lead performance as Vivian Bearing. An excerpt from the play was published in the New York Times in September 1998. Chalfant received strong praise for her performance. She also incorporated her own life experience into her work on the play, including the final illness and death of her brother Alan Palmer from cancer. The play moved to the Union Square Theater in December 1998, after its successful initial run in New York City.
Wit won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
The Pulitzer Prize for Drama was first awarded in 1918.From 1918 to 2006, the Drama Prize was unlike the majority of the other Pulitzer Prizes: during these years, the eligibility period for the drama prize ran from March 2 to March 1, to reflect the Broadway 'season' rather than the calendar year...
. The play also received the "Best New Play" award for 1999 from the New York Drama Critics' Circle. Because the play did not receive a production at a Broadway theatre, Wit was not eligible for the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
s. Chalfant received an award from the Village Voice Obies for her performance. In 2001, the play was adapted into a cable television film
Wit (film)
Wit is a 2001 American television movie directed by Mike Nichols. The teleplay by Nichols and Emma Thompson is based on the 1998 Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same title by Margaret Edson....
with Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
as Vivian Bearing. A Broadway production is scheduled for a three month run starting in January 2012 starring Cynthia Nixon
Cynthia Nixon
Cynthia Ellen Nixon is an American actress, known for her portrayal of Miranda Hobbes in the HBO series Sex and the City . She has received two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a Grammy Award....
and directed by Lynne Meadow
Lynne Meadow
Lynne Meadow is an American theatre producer and director and a college professor.A cum laude graduate of Bryn Mawr, Meadow attended the Yale School of Drama...
.
Elizabeth Klaver has discussed in detail the philosophical issues of "mind vs body" in the context of Wit.
On the cover of the published book of the play, the use of a semicolon in place of the letter i gives W;t as one representation of the play's title. In the context of the play, the semicolon refers to the recurring theme of the use of a semicolon versus a comma in one of John Donne's Holy Sonnets
Holy Sonnets
The Holy Sonnets, also known as the Divine Meditations or Divine Sonnets, are a series of nineteen poems by the English poet John Donne...
. Both Wit and W;t have been used in various articles on the play for the title.
Characters
- Vivian Bearing, PhDDoctor of PhilosophyDoctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
– 50 years old, a professor of seventeenth-century poetry at the university, diagnosed with stage IVCancer stagingThe stage of a cancer is a description of the extent the cancer has spread. The stage often takes into account the size of a tumor, how deeply it has penetrated, whether it has invaded adjacent organs, how many lymph nodes it has metastasized to , and whether it has spread to distant organs...
, metastaticMetastasisMetastasis, or metastatic disease , is the spread of a disease from one organ or part to another non-adjacent organ or part. It was previously thought that only malignant tumor cells and infections have the capacity to metastasize; however, this is being reconsidered due to new research...
ovarian cancerOvarian cancerOvarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from the ovary. Symptoms are frequently very subtle early on and may include: bloating, pelvic pain, difficulty eating and frequent urination, and are easily confused with other illnesses.... - Harvey Kelekian, MDDoctor of MedicineDoctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
– 50 years old, chief of medical oncology at the University Hospital - Jason Posner, MDDoctor of MedicineDoctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
– 28 years old, a clinical fellow at the Medical Oncology Branch, former student in Dr. Bearing's class - Susie Monahan, RNRegistered nurseA registered nurse is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program at a university or college and has passed a national licensing exam. A registered nurse helps individuals, families, and groups to achieve health and prevent disease...
, BSNBachelor of Science in NursingThe Bachelor of Science in Nursing is an American four year academic degree in the science and principles of nursing, granted by a tertiary education university or similarly accredited school...
- 28 years old, Dr. Bearing's primary nurse in the cancer in-patient unit - E.M. Ashford, DPhilDoctor of PhilosophyDoctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
– 80 years old, professor emerita of English literature, Vivian's former professorProfessorA professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
in college - Mr Bearing, Vivian's father
- Laboratory technicians
- Students of Dr Bearing's class
| Role | New York Premiere Cast, 17 September 1998New York City New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... , MCC Theater, Chelsea |
|---|---|
| Vivian Bearing, PhD | Kathleen Chalfant Kathleen Chalfant -Life and career:Chalfant was born as in San Francisco, California and raised in her parents' boarding house in Oakland. Her father, William Bishop, was an officer in the Coast Guard... |
| Harvey Kelekian, MD | Walter Charles |
| Dr Jason Posner | Alec Phoenix |
| Susie Monahan | Paula Pizzi |
| E. M. Ashford | Helen Stenborg |
| Laboratory technicians and students | Brian J. Carter, Daniel Sarnelli, Alli Steinberg, Lisa Tharps |
| Mr. Bearing | Walter Charles |
Synopsis
Wit is performed as a single continuous act, without intermission.The play represents the last hours of Dr Vivian Bearing, a university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of English
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
, dying of ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from the ovary. Symptoms are frequently very subtle early on and may include: bloating, pelvic pain, difficulty eating and frequent urination, and are easily confused with other illnesses....
. She recalls the initial diagnosis of Stage IV metastatic ovarian cancer from her oncologist, Dr Harvey Kelekian. Dr Kelekian then proposes an experimental chemotherapeutic treatment
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
regimen consisting of eight rounds at full dosage. Vivian agrees to the treatment.
Over the course of the play, Vivian reflects on her life through the intricacies of the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, especially the use of wit
Wit
Wit is a form of intellectual humour, and a wit is someone skilled in making witty remarks. Forms of wit include the quip and repartee.-Forms of wit:...
in the metaphysical poetry of John Donne
John Donne
John Donne 31 March 1631), English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest, is now considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are notable for their strong and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs,...
. Throughout the play, she recites Donne's Holy Sonnet X, "Death Be Not Proud," while reflecting upon her condition. (In the revised edition of John Donne's Holy Sonnets, "If Poysonous Mineralls" and "Death Be Not Proud" are sonnets V and VI, respectively.) In addition to her understanding of poetry, she has a reputation for her rigorous classes and demanding manner. She has spent most of her life preferring scholarship to humanity, and it's no accident that she is unmarried and without children, her parents are deceased, and she has no third-party person to contact.
Vivian recalls undergoing tests by various medical technicians and being the subject of grand rounds
Grand rounds
Grand rounds are an important teaching tool and ritual of medical education and inpatient care, consisting of presenting the medical problems and treatment of a particular patient to an audience consisting of doctors, residents, and medical students...
. She remembers the first time that she acquired a love of books from her father, Mr Bearing, who helped her learn the fancy word at the beginning of Beatrix Potter's
Beatrix Potter
Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist best known for her imaginative children’s books featuring animals such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit which celebrated the British landscape and country life.Born into a privileged Unitarian...
The Tale of The Flopsy Bunnies
The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies
The Tale of The Flopsy Bunnies is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter, and first published by Frederick Warne & Co. in July 1909. After two full-length tales about rabbits, Potter had grown weary of depicting lagomorphs, and initially did not want to create another rabbit...
--soporific. She also flashes back to her experiences as a student of Dr E. M. Ashford, an expert on John Donne.
Bearing later finds herself under the care of Dr Jason Posner, an oncology research fellow who, liking a tough challenge and needing to show med schools how "well-rounded" he is, has taken her Donne class at the university. At the hospital, she recognizes that doctors are more interested in her for their research: they "read" her as she used to read literature. Both tend to leave out human beings. Gradually, she realizes that she would much prefer kindness to intellect.
Eventually, Vivian reaches the end stage in extreme pain as Susie Monahan, a nurse at the medical centre, offers Vivian such kindness, and mentions to her the option of exercising among medical emergency options either code blue or, more kindly, "do not resuscitate
Do not resuscitate
In medicine, a "do not resuscitate" or "DNR" is a legal order written either in the hospital or on a legal form to respect the wishes of a patient to not undergo CPR or advanced cardiac life support if their heart were to stop or they were to stop breathing...
" (DNR), in case of a severe decline in her condition. Vivian decides to mark the DNR option.
Dr Ashford, in town for her great-grandson's birthday, visits the hospital after learning of Vivian's cancer. She comforts her and offers to read to her a Donne sonnet, but Vivian, scarcely conscious, declines. Instead, Dr Ashford reads from Margaret Wise Brown
Margaret Wise Brown
Margaret Wise Brown was a prolific American author of children's literature, including the books Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny, both illustrated by Clement Hurd.-Biography:...
's The Runaway Bunny
The Runaway Bunny
The Runaway Bunny is a 1942 picture book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. The plot deals with a small rabbit, who wants to run away...
, which she had bought for her great-grandson, and which, as she remarks, offers a lovely "allegory of the soul": Wherever the soul tries to hide, God, comfortingly, will find it. Thus Vivian's life with words, which has begun with Beatrix Potter's Benjamin Bunny, comes full circle with Brown's Runaway Bunny. Dr Ashford turns out to be the only visitor that Vivian receives.
Vivian then flatlines. Jason suddenly discovers this, tries to resuscitate her, and calls in a medical team to administer CPR. Susie tries to stop him, pointing out the DNR instruction. Jason eventually realises his mistake and calls for the CPR team to stop. The play ends as Vivian, unclothed after her death, walks from her hospital bed "toward a little light."