A show created by young artists in Aberystwyth will celebrate its 10th anniversary with performances new performances this month.

‘Roll for Remission’ tells the story of four teenagers with cancer, who play a ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ style game to beat boredom during treatment. As they battle pirates and monsters in one world, and needles and chemo in the other, the audience rolls a giant die to change the story at every show! 

Anna Sherratt wrote and directed the play after receiving cancer treatment at the age of 21. She was diagnosed just days before completing her university degree.

Through her writing, she hoped to start honest conversations about what it is like having cancer young, dealing with death and bereavement, and living with a disability.

Her theatre company, Cwmni Ennyn, performed the show for lots of different audiences around the UK, including oncology nurses in Cardiff, Youth Justice Service members in Bristol, and at the 2022 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol in Tregaron.

The show was given an award by the charity Young Lives VS Cancer in 2017 for its role in raising awareness of the experiences of young people living with cancer. 

To celebrate the 10 year milestone, a young cast who auditioned for the roles from Aberystwyth Arts Centre Youth Theatre are joined by professional actor James Qualtrough to bring new this version of the story to life. Anna also looks forward to inviting previous cast and crew members to the performances in Aberystwyth to share memories, and participate in a post-show comedy sketch and a Q&A.

Performers from the Hijinx Mid Theatre Academy, which supports actors living with disabilities in their training, will also be performing a fantasy-themed curtain raiser for the events.  

When asked about why she wrote the play, Anna said “There’s so much fear and stigma attached to these topics, when realistically all of us will experience disability, and death, at some point in our lives.

“I wanted to acknowledge that stories about cancer can be hilarious and entertaining as well as being tragic.

“It was important to me to honour the people I met in that ward, those who are sadly not here now and those who are out there living their lives.

“Most of all, I hope it can help people to get more comfortable with uncertainty - we’re all at the mercy of the dice, but what we choose to do with that is up to us.”

Anna added: “I’m so excited to be bringing this show back so its fans can experience different endings, and people who are new to it can experience the story for the first time. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who’s helped us make this wonderfully ridiculous idea a reality.”

‘Roll for Remission’ will be performed at Aberystwyth Arts Centre at 7pm on Friday, 20 November, and at 2pm (Relaxed Performance, BSL) and 7pm (BSL) on Saturday, 21 November.

Tickets can be purchased via Aberystwyth Arts Centre Box Office over the phone (01970 623232), in person, or online.