Colder Than Here: Life and more while at death’s door

A gentle comedy about a woman dying of bone cancer – and her family coming to terms with it – is the latest offering from Melville Theatre. Written by Laura Wade and directed by Susan Lynch, Colder Than Here is the heartwarming story of Myra and her determination to plan her own funeral while her husband buries his emotions and her two daughters struggle to accept their mother's fate. As she researches burial spots and bio-degradable coffins, her family is forced to communicate with her as they face up to an unpredictable future. “This is a play about what happens to a family when someone is dying,” Lynch said. “Life goes on and relationships are tested while decisions are made about how to deal with the inevitable. “It’s a story with a lot of gentle humour while everyone comes to grips with Myra’s decisions about how she wants to die and be buried. “I loved the script as soon as I read it and I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to work on it. A death in my own family made me think about this play again and I decided now was the ideal time.” With Colder Than Here, Lynch believes her main challenge is getting the actors to relax and be comfortable with humour in the face of death. “We all have to accept this is a ‘life goes on’ situation and funny things don’t stop happening just because there is tragedy in the background,” she said. Colder Than Here plays at 8pm, August 30, 31, September 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14 with a 2pm matinee September 8. Tickets are $18, $14 concession – book on 9330 4565 or at www.meltheco.org.au/Bookings.html. Melville Theatre is donating $1 from every ticket sold, plus the proceeds of the nightly raffle and any donations, to SolarisCare, an organisation improving the quality of life for cancer patients and their carers by providing support to cope with the emotional and physical side effects of cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery. The theatre is on the corner of Stock Road and Canning Highway, Palmyra.