Geva Cohort – “Informed Consent” Part I – The Script

(Informed Consent, directed by Sean Daniels, runs from March 18 to April 13)

I was so flattered that Sean Daniels invited me to ‘cohort’ again, and this time on a drama!  In advance of the initial meet-and-greet, he sent out the script, which I read on my iPad on a plane. I wished I were reading it in old-fashioned hardcopy, so that I could highlight passages that particularly resonated with me.  Although it’s a relatively short play, it’s dense with thought-provoking themes.  As Geva’s website explains, Informed Consent is based on a true story, and “explores the question of just how much knowledge is too much.”  For example, if you are at risk for a deadly disease and could be tested to determine the likelihood, would you do it?  One of my favorite exchanges between two of the characters involves who gets to choose the knowing or not-knowing, and why one person’s fear trumps the other’s.

In addition to the “how much is too much” question, the play also examines the implications of that knowledge (or lack of it), on behavior and on an individual’s or community’s Weltanschauung.  As science and technology continue to advance at a breathtaking pace, how do we define and weigh the ethical implications of that progress?  Just because we can screen embryos, or genetically engineer them in vitro, for disease risk or gender selection, should we? 

Part of the play revolves around the revelation of the history of an Indian tribe being screened for diabetes.  In the process of testing for the illness, the geneticist discovers the tribe’s genetic origins, which contradict their “creation story.”  The tribe would rather stick to its belief than assimilate the facts.  I couldn’t help but be reminded of the similar way that Christians stick to their beliefs in the face of scientific discoveries, which they either ignore (as the Creationists do evolution) or incorporate reluctantly (as the Catholic Church did the idea that the Earth was not the center of the universe).

And the play introduces the question of who we are – are we our genes?  Are we our memories?  Even though it has been proven that our memories are not static, like snapshots or movies, but that our mind can modify them without our being aware?

I already have tickets to the show, and I’m very much looking forward to watching it evolve from the page to the stage.

For more information about the play, visit Geva's website:

http://www.gevatheatre.org/shows/informed-consent/