St Mary’s Academic Commissioned to Write Play for Teenage Cancer Trust

Prof Trevor Walker, Professor of Drama at St Mary’s University, Twickenham has been commissioned to write a short play based on his interviews with teenage cancer patients, which will be performed at the Teenage Cancer Trust’s annual four-day conference. The conference will be held at Centre Parcs in Sherwood Forest on 14th-17th November and will attract healthcare professionals as well as 400 young people from across the country who have, or have had, cancer. Prof Walker is also directing the play and is joined by actors Francesca Floyd, Ben Prosser and Kelly Hill who are all Drama St Mary’s alumni. Prof Walker said, “Two years ago we contributed to a Teenage Cancer Trust conference for doctors and nurses with a forum theatre piece written and presented by St Mary’s Head of Drama Mark Griffin and a group of his Applied Theatre students. “This time we’re looking forward to performing a new play to the young patients as well. This Teenage Cancer Trust annual conference recently won an award for Excellence in Patient Education from the European Oncology Nursing Society, judging it to be “an excellent, innovative project aimed at the young cancer patient and survivors” and Drama St Mary’s is very proud to contribute to this inspiring event.” This year additional financial support for more young people to attend has been made possible by the fundraising efforts of 19 year-old Stephen Sutton who, before he died in May this year, managed to raise nearly £5 million for the Trust.