“Stages” is a play being produced by Sequim resident Max Bidasha, and will take the stage at Olympic Theatre Arts from Jan. 9-12.
Taking on the process of dealing with life as a cancer patient and survivor, “Stages” is written from Bidasha’s own experiences with cancer.
A current cancer patient with stage IV epithelioid sarcoma that lead to his left hand being amputated earlier this year, Bidasha was inspired to write “Stages,” his first play, after seeing a performance of “Newsroom” on Broadway.
He wrote the play over a period of several months, mostly at Hurricane Coffee at Sequim, who have since become a sponsor for his show.
Not only his first play written, “Stages” serves as Bidasha’s directorial and acting debut. Though this is his own cancer story, the play incorporates stories from other cancer patients as well.
While several of the actors in Stages are in their first theatrical production as well, Bidasha is supported by several veterans of theatre in the area, including Dave McInness, Sequim Middle School theatre teacher and a regular at OTA both on stage and behind the scenes as a stage manager.
McIness’ primary role for the play is as Bidasha’s stage manager, running the production from backstage, making sure actors make their entrances on time and overseeing any scenery or costume changes as needed.
He will be on stage at times as well, playing a character known as Lalo who Bidasha describes as “nerdy and smart, but hesitant.”
One of the standout things that have come out of the production for Bidasha is how close the cast has gotten — almost everyone involved has been touched by cancer in some way, and that made the bond fast and easy.
“There’s a lot less awkward getting to know you stuff when you have that to get it all out of the way,” Bidasha said.
The rest of the cast includes Marliyn Kaler, who plays Tulla; Phyllis Bernard-May, who plays Irene; Ryan Chen, who plays Christoph; Jeff Ryser, who holds several roles as well as helping McInness backstage, and Jenny Schaper, who plays Rosie.
Bidasha has also been touched by the community support for the show; OTA representatives have told him that the 150 tickets sold by early December for the four-night run in January are the most ever sold for a show a month ahead of time.
“That tells me how important this message is for people,” Bidasha said, who also added that he’s been very appreciative of how much people have been reaching out to try and help out.
“I’ve had so many people ask what we need, what they can do,” he said. “And having places like (Sequim Middle School) give us a space to rehearse has been so good.”
Several members of the community have also given Bidasha pictures of friends or family members who have had cancer that will be on display at OTA during the play, and audience members will be given a chance to share their own stories about cancer in writing.
Several local organizations have offered financial support as well, like Hurricane Coffee, Olympic Stained Glass, Cedar Greens and L3 Healing.
“I didn’t reach out too much, because it’s very important to me that I’m going to places that want to bring people together and be healthy,” Bidasha said.
‘Stages’
When: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 9-11, 2 p.m. Jan. 12
Where: Olympic Theatre Arts, 414 N. Sequim Ave.
Expected run time: 80 minutes, plus a Q&A after each performance
