Interview: Living a life joyfully with cancer 

A.C. Smith, writer of To Rose On Her 18th Birthday at the Barbican

And they’re back! Following their sold-out Pit Party takeovers in 2019 and 2021, CRIPtic Arts return to the Barbican for another evening of new and exciting works by some of the UK’s top disabled theatre makers and companies. There are four productions being showcased this year, and we were delighted to ask A.C. Smith, writer of the third Act, To Rose on Her 18th Birthday, about what we can look forward to.

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Hi there A.C. Thanks so much for talking with us today about your show. Firstly, can you tell us what it’s about?

This is a show about how to live joyfully with cancer. To Rose on Her 18^th Birthday essentially tells the story of the last five years of my life. When my daughter Rose was seven months old, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, which returned during the pandemic. When I learned my cancer was back, I had a decision to make – am I going to succumb to the misery of this? Or is there a way to reclaim my life even while cancer is a part of it? For me, I discovered it was possible to live with serious illness without feeling diminished by it.

What prompted you to create the play?

This play is a love letter to my daughter Rose, in case I’m not here when she finds out her own genetic testing results. When Rose turns eighteen, she will be eligible for testing find out if she carries the same BRCA1 gene that has made me so susceptible to cancer. I know firsthand that in these circumstances, both uncertainty and knowledge can feel like heavy things to face. I want Rose to know that no matter what those results say, she deserves and is capable of having a beautiful life.

You have a background in multimedia collaborations and music – how will you be bringing that expertise to this production?

The backbone of this piece is the extraordinary documentary photographs taken by Julia Forsman. When I first found out I was sick, I wanted to document a day in the life of my family before everything changed, particularly my last day of breastfeeding. Julia was the person who came to take those photographs – and it ended up growing into a much bigger project and beautiful friendship. When I was really ill, I found it incredibly empowering to collaborate with her on making those images. I wasn’t sure what I was going to make from them, but I knew this was a story that had to be told with more than words.

Cancer is a very relatable and painful subject for many people. What are you hoping your audience will take away from the story?

My hope for the audience is that this piece will feel like getting a warm hug from your mom. (Or should I say, mum? That’s a bit of my American accent sneaking through!) The most beautiful thing I encountered during my cancer treatment was the incredible generosity of the people around me. Family and friends turned their lives upside down to help, and even perfect strangers helped us move and brought us meals. I got to experience firsthand that we are all part of an interconnected web of care, even if we can’t always see it.

Can you tell us about any access features that have been integrated into the production?

The most exciting and challenging access provision for me has been the audio description – namely, how to bring Julia’s beautiful photos to life for partially sighted and blind audience members. It’s been a fascinating dance between the existing language of the play and these new layers. I’ve been really grateful to have the input of experts in this area, because I’ve learned so much. Also, experiencing the descriptions through their eyes and words has helped me find new layers in a story that I can usually only see from my own perspective.

Your play is one of four acts on the night. How do the pieces work in combination?

Jamie Hale, who founded CRIPtic Arts and is directing this piece, is a visionary. They have created an amazing meta-theatrical journey that ties all the pieces together. The performance is framed as a journey behind the scenes of theatremaking for the pieces. This setup gives each piece the space to have its distinctive voice, but also creates a cohesive journey. This also makes space to reflect on the experience of disabled artists, hopefully raising some important issues and questions that will stick with the audience long after the evening finishes.

This CRIPtic Arts event brings together some top disabled theatre makers and companies. What does it feel like being a part of such an exceptional team and appearing at the Barbican?

I’ve been working on this show in one way or another for five years – I actually had to rewrite it from scratch when my cancer came back! During that time, I’ve had support from some amazing creatives and organisations: HighTide, the Peggy Ramsay Foundation, and Arts Council England – and most of all, CRIPtic Arts, who have nurtured this project with such care and insight.

I was working professionally as a playwright before I became disabled, and I have been blown away by the artistry and skill of everyone involved on the CRIPtic creative team. Working with a disabled creative team has added so much to my piece and process. I’m used to being the only disabled artist in the room, so it has been a gift to have artistic insight from others with lived experience around similar themes. Bringing this piece to the Barbican really is an honour. I cannot wait to share this show with an audience.

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Thanks very much to A.C. for taking the time to tell us about this fascinating production. 

To Rose On Her 18th Birthday is part of The Acts from CRIPtic Arts which takes place at the Barbican Pit on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 November. Further information and booking details can be found here.