Lawrence Today magazine, Summer 2004
Award-winning actor and Lawrence alumna Megan
Cole (Elizabeth
Cole, ’63)
shared her passion for communication, empathy, and the connection between health
care, the arts, and the human spirit in a pair of presentations in January
sponsored by the theatre arts department and the interdisciplinary programs
in biomedical ethics and gender studies.
“Illness, Stigma, and Being Female” consists of excerpts from the
first-person accounts of five women who have suffered from stigmatizing illnesses
that
are particular to the condition of being female.
Her one-woman show “The Wisdom of Wit,” is an adaptation
of Margaret Edson’s play. Cole originated the lead role of distinguished
English professor Vivian Bearing at Wit’s premiere in 1995
and later performed the role in productions in Seattle, Houston, and Austin.
Working in Wit and hearing others’ tales of their experiences
with illness and death inspired her to design a course titled The Craft
of Empathy to show doctors-in-training
how to use actors’ techniques to empathize with their patients. The
course eventually led to an appointment as visiting professor of health and
society
at the University of Texas–Houston, where she conducts workshops for
health-care students and professionals.
“What I do,” Cole told the Green Bay Press-Gazette, “is I use
an actor’s model of training to convey actor skills that may be useful
to medical professionals. Particularly, that has to do with establishing
a balance
between engagement and detachment.
“I thought, ‘You know, if actors lost themselves in their roles,
we would give a poor performance. Or, if we didn’t get involved at all,
we would give a poor performance.’
"It’s all about the balance between thought, feeling, form, and content,” she
said.
Active with the educational outreach wing of the Compassion
in Dying Federation, Cole gives frequent public talks
on the human face of health care and recently co-led a conference
on
“Living Well and Dying Well.” She currently is working with the M.D.
Anderson Cancer Center in Houston on a series of educational tapes that depict
oncologists relating to the personal aspects of cancer care.
Cole’s work in the theatre, including more than 100 lead roles in theatre
productions across the country, has been recognized with two Los Angeles
Drama Critics Circle Awards and three Los Angeles Drama-Logue Awards. In
addition to her stage work, she has made numerous television guest appearances,
including
roles on “ER,” “Seinfeld,” “The Practice,” “Judging
Amy,” and “Star Trek,” among others.
