The play, titled Making It Personal, explores the emotional journey of parents who have a child with a serious genetic condition and are deciding whether to have another child.
Set against the backdrop of a breakthrough genetic test that assesses the risk of a genetic condition recurring in future pregnancies, it delves into the human side of this complex issue, focusing on how parents process the possibility of such a test and the tough decisions they have to make.
The play depicts a day in the life of a couple, Jess and Sam, who already have a daughter, Evie, diagnosed with a rare genetic condition.
It will be staged at 2pm on Saturday, May 17, at St Anne’s College, Oxford.
Dr Alison Kay, a research fellow at the Centre for Personalised Medicine and researcher on the iPREGCARE study, said: “After diagnosis, parents often want to know if their child’s genetic condition is a one-off event or whether it could happen again.
“If you give them a low average risk of it happening again, they may not feel reassured because something rare has already happened to them.”
The play is a collaboration between scientists and arts fellows from the University of Oxford.
Dr Minna Jeffery, research fellow in drama at St Anne’s College, wrote and staged the project.
She said: “I’m always excited by theatre as a tool to explore and to communicate.
“Research can sometimes feel a bit intimidating and impersonal, so in this project we are using theatre as a medium for considering the human, personal element and impacts of this vital, exciting research.”
The play is interactive, with the audience having the chance to participate in a group discussion after the performance.
They can share their thoughts and suggest alternative ways the characters might have approached the situation.
These alternative endings will then be re-enacted on stage.
Dr Kay said: “The performance is a springboard to engage the audience’s rational and emotional responses and open up the conversation on how we as people grapple with new genetic information and what it means for ourselves and our relationships.”
The performance will be recorded and shared online and further analysis, as well as the script and alternative endings, will be made available as a resource for future use via the Oxford Centre of Personalised Medicine’s website.
By stimulating conversations between researchers, healthcare professionals, and the public, it hopes to improve the way new genetic technologies are discussed and applied in clinical settings across the country.