Aurora Theatre presenting powerful Pulitzer Prize-winning drama 'Wit'

Whether cancer has directly or indirectly touched your life, “Wit” is a universal tale that anyone can relate to, according to Mary Lynn Owen, who portrays Bearing in Aurora Theatre’s current production playing Jan. 14 through Feb. 7.

The poignant play touches on heavy topics like death and cancer, but for Owen it’s ultimately an uplifting story.

“I think the play is hopeful. It’s a very hopeful experience,” Owen said. “I think what the play does is it addresses grief in a real, visceral way and it then pulls you out of that. The play is so rich in symbolism and metaphor and life experience and then at the end there’s this wonderful transcendent surprise.”

Owen said she began preparing for the challenging role around a year ago, approaching it from many angles, from studying the script to researching ovarian cancer and its effects. She also read “Memoir of a Debulked Woman: Enduring Ovarian Cancer” by Susan Gubar, as well as numerous critical essays.

Owen also familiarized herself with studies on death and dying and acquainted herself with 17th-century British poet John Donne because in the play Bearing is a scholar on “The Holy Sonnets.” Owen said she also drew on her own personal experiences with cancer for the role.

“As an actor I think you pull from all of your experiences,” she said. “That’s what’s so wonderful about playing a role like this at the age I am because all of life, all of the losses and the stages of life contribute to what you do and there’s a lot to draw on and use for this character.”

While “Wit” surrounds Bearing’s battle with ovarian cancer, Owen doesn’t think the play is necessarily about cancer.

“I think the play is about discovering your own humanity and discovering your need for other people,” she said, “and the cancer is the mechanism by which Vivian is broken down and learns that.

“It’s almost like a mythological story in that the character has so much hubris and then must fall and then has to sort of rediscover through her brokenness … she learns so much more than she could have ever learned.”

While “Wit” contains some heavy subject matter, Owen doesn’t feel the play brings the audience down.

“The character Vivian, and she’s such a smarty pants, is very witty and dry, and the play has some unexpected moments of laughter,” she said. “I think anyone who has ever gone through any kind of medical procedure will completely understand and identify with the absurdity of sitting around in a gown waiting for people to poke at you.”

That’s not to say topics like cancer and death are lighthearted; the idea of dying is frightening for a lot of people, including Owen. But while facing one’s own mortality can be scary, Owen said it’s also “another opportunity to grow and learn.”

Directed by Tlaloc Rivas, “Wit” will play through Feb. 7 at Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville. The play contains brief nudity and is recommended for teens and adults.

Following the Sunday matinee on Jan. 17, audiences will get the chance to attend a meet and greet with playwright Margaret Edson, who will discuss her play and the inspiration behind it.

Aurora will host a free community conversation, “The Big C,” from 7:15 to 7:55 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3. Attendees can participate in a frank conversation with cancer survivors and medical professionals. The panel will compare ways of navigating past and present realities as well as future expectations.

For more information, visit auroratheatre.com.