The Actual Dance – solo play at Tusten Theatre

DVAA presents “The Actual Dance,” an award-winning solo play about the transformative power of love in the face of illness. Written by Sam Simon and performed by Chuk Obasi.

The autobiographical piece is based on writer Sam Simon’s experience as caregiver for his wife, Susan, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000.

“The Actual Dance” refers to the sensation Simon experienced during this time of crisis. He imagined a brightly lit ballroom with an orchestra tuning their instruments, all for the moment when he and his wife would have to part for good.

“People will come up to me after the show and tell of similar experiences,” he said. “They’re afraid to talk about it out loud for fear of being called crazy.”

The play interweaves flashbacks of Simon’s courtship of his future wife and of her previous medical scares and surgeries.

“I am humbled by the fact that people have told me it has changed their lives,” Simon said. “Men, in particular, don’t talk much.”