Playwright Jordi Mand could not have known, when she began writing In Seven Days several years ago, that the show’s world premiere would occur just weeks after Canada’s Members of Parliament decided to boot the discussion about expanding medical assistance in dying (MAID) to sometime beyond the next federal election.
But then again, that’s often the function of art. It provokes discussion about sensitive topics and issues that even politicians can be too timid, perplexed or cagey to handle.
Mand acknowledges upfront that her drama, billed as “a comedy about death,” will be provocative. It’s meant to be. With her script, however, she’s not advocating a position on assisted death so much as she’s hoping audiences will see the humanity in the conundrums families face.
Co-produced with Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company, In Seven Days peers into the life of a fictional Jewish family in London, Ont., as their patriarch, Sam, decides, after nearly a decade of dealing with cancer, to end his life in a week’s time. Daughter Rachel must wrestle with whether to change her father’s mind or honour his wishes.
An experienced writer for theatre, TV and film, Mand says the development of In Seven Days was “the most thoughtful process I’ve ever been part of as a writer.” Her mother and father, who recently moved to London to retire, were heavily involved, with assistance from director Philip Akin and Rabbi Debra Stahlberg Dressler of Temple Israel, London’s Reform Jewish congregation.
Mand’s parents have more than a familial interest in their daughter’s script. Jason Mandlowitz is the current president of Temple Israel and, even within Judaism’s more liberal circles, the belief that MAID amounts to murder is prevalent. Mand says she honestly doesn’t know what kind of reception In Seven Days will get from her own community, let alone the general public.
Nevertheless, Mand says she feels the currents of change breezing through her new work: “This show had to happen here. There’s something fortuitous about this whole thing.”
In Seven Days officially opens Friday night.
In Seven Days
By Jordi Mand
Directed by Philip Akin
A world premiere
Spriet Stage, The Grand Theatre
471 Richmond St., London, Ontario
February 13-March 2, 2024
Tickets: http://www.grandtheatre.com
Greenwin Theatre, Meridian Arts Centre
5040 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario
May 4-16, 2024
Tickets: http://www.hgjewishtheatre.com
ArtsBeat 