Act 39: Vermont’s Medical Aid in Dying Law Comes to the Stage
A world premiere opening June 22, 2023
What do you do when a friend asks you to help him end his life?
Act 39, soon to have its world premiere, is a play based upon the true story of the relationship between Circus Smirkus founder Rob Mermin and his friend Bill, who asked for Rob’s help in using Vermont’s Medical Aid in Dying law (MAiD) after Bill discovered he was suffering with a terminal illness. Rob, who wrote the play, summarized the story behind it:
Bill and I were best friends, both in our sixties, living in adjacent apartments in Montpelier, VT. We bonded over deep conversations sitting on the front porch of the house, and we played games—baseball, tennis, paddleball—without scoring or competition, but simply for fun.
Suddenly Bill collapsed one day in 2015, and the horrific diagnosis was pancreatic cancer, stage 4. Prognosis: less than six months. He was only 70. We learned about Vermont’s recent Medical Aid in Dying law, Act 39. Bill chose that path, and he asked me to assist him.
Following Bill’s death, Rob was asked by a hospice nurse to share his experiences with a few families in which individuals were deciding whether Act 39 would be a good choice for them. The more he talked, the more he discovered that “people were hungry to discuss end of life issues; they needed to hear clearly how the option of Act 39 worked.” About a year after Bill’s death, Rob started to write the play, recalling the many conversations between the two during Bill’s last months, and “jotting down notes of what was said. The dialogue in the play is taken directly from my notes.”
Why theater, I asked? Why choose to write a play, rather than, say, an op-ed for the local newspaper? Rob responded:
I came to realize that a theatrical production is the best venue for interpreting our conversations on life, death, science, metaphysics, art, literature, movies, circus.
Theater evokes real emotions, actors portray real characters, a world of ideas is created on stage and audiences can witness what really happened.
Me: The press release promises that the play has moments of levity. Is that possible?
Rob:
Bill and I laughed a lot. . . We played like a couple of twelve year olds. . . Humor was a deep part of our bond. The play has an intense theme—what can be more serious than death and dying? But the play is not depressing at all, it is uplifting! There is a line in the play when the characters discuss a film that Bill screened for his film club, AfterLife. Rob says, “So, it’s about what happens after we die?” Bill answers, “No, it is more of an exploration of what we honestly value in this life.”
Presented by Pushcart Productions, Act 39 is directed by Monica Callan, and stars Donny Osman, J.T. Turner, Maren Langdon Spillane and Dominic Spillane. Tickets are available here. Suggested donation is $20. Advance ticketing is recommended; pay-as-you-can admission may be available at door 30 minutes prior to each show.
The play will run June 22 - July 2, 2023 in the Haybarn Theater at Goddard College, Plainfield, VT. Supported in part by Vermont Humanities Council, Across Roads Center for the Arts, Plainfield Arts, Goddard College, and Patient Choices Vermont. A PCV team member will facilitate discussions after the performances on June 23, June 25, and July 2.
Vermont’s Medical Aid in Dying law was enacted ten years ago in 2013. The Patient Choices Vermont website provides general and up-to-date information, including recent changes to the law that will now permit both Vermonters and non-residents to receive care under it.
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And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.