25 Mar Vesta: A Family’s Struggle at End of Life

Back by popular demand! An encore staged reading of the end of life drama Vesta will be performed at the River Garden in downtown Brattleboro on Sunday April 12 at 2:00 pm.   Tea, cake and discussion will follow the play. Sponsored by Brattleboro Area Hospice, this event is free and open to the public.

Vesta offers a warm and often humorous exploration of a family’s struggle with a variety of end-of-life issues as they come to terms with the illness and death Vesta Pierson, their matriarch. Vesta is a 90-minute, seven-character play about the last five years of the title character’s life.

The play provides a rich opportunity for self-examination and community dialogue on fundamental questions surrounding death and dying. Told with humor and a keen understanding of the human condition, the play is a compelling drama about families struggling to deal honestly with the everyday problems and mysteries of mortality.

Vesta’s author, playwright Bryan Harnetiaux, has said, “The theatre provides a safe harbor, a climate where you can look at these issues honestly, without fear of judgment.  I have seen a willingness, almost a need, for people to tell their own stories.    For instance, in Vesta, the audience members often identify with one of the three women—the aging Vesta, her adult daughter Carol, or the granddaughter.”

Directed by Burt Tepfer, the cast includes: Nancy Stephens, Nan Mann, Louisa Strothman, Ben Stockman, Jon Mack, Jim Bombicino, and Mike Jerald.

After the performance, there will be an opportunity to discuss the play with the director, the cast and Hospice staff.  Tea and cake will follow, allowing the audience to share their experience and opinions of the play in a café-like setting.

The event is free, although last year’s seats filled up quickly so an RSVP is recommended to guarantee a place.  To RSVP, call 257-0775, x105. For more information about the performance or the free services of Brattleboro Area Hospice, visit their website at www.brattleborohospice.org.