The Shadow Box is about doing dying right and, in the end, about knowing how to grab hold of life instead of avoiding death. It’s about facing the final frontier head-on, full of grace and gusto.

This Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by playwright Michael Christofer centers around three dying patients housed in hospice cottages on the grounds of a Mendocino hospital. Not only are we introduced to the individuals, but also to their families, so we get a glimpse of how everyone is dealing with the death card dealt to them.

The play relies on Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ stages of death--denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance--with patients or family members in The Shadow Box representing the wide-ranging emotions that go along with the five phases.

Following the Opening Night performance on Friday, November 17, 2006, there was a talk-back session with representatives from Hospice of Lancaster County. Donegal Performing Arts was happy to be able to make a monetary donation to Hospice of Lancaster County from proceeds of their production.