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17th March 2022 Costi Levy (2019, Philosophy and Spanish)

Playwright Lisa Parry (1998, English) releases podcast drama about early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease

Costi Levy (2019, Philosophy and Spanish) discovers the latest work from playwright and Exeter alumna Lisa Parry.

Lisa Parry (1998, English) has championed the need for theatre to engage with science and ethics for many years. Her latest project does just that. Tremolo, a co-production with Wales Gene Park, Illumine Theatre and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, is a podcast drama that deals with early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease.

‘I jolt. It’s here. The day of the final A-level exam’. Tremolo tells the story of Harri, an 18-year-old who discovers that his mother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease on the day he finishes his A-levels. With the knowledge that he and his sister Gwenllian each have a 50 per cent chance of inheriting the disease, he is faced with an incredibly difficult decision: should he take a test to find out?

Tremolo tells an intimate story of family dynamics in a moment of crisis, medical autonomy when on the brink of adulthood, and the realities of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Parry seamlessly combines poignant storytelling and information about genetic counselling, diagnosis and living with Alzheimer’s. The product is a drama that is both educational and heart-wrenching.

Tremolo was released on 3 March, supported by the Genetics Society, and is available to listen to for free in English and Welsh here.

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