The only predictable thing about life is that it is unpredictable. In fact, sometimes it seems the more we prop up our expectations on plans, the more life reminds us that it will not be tamed. Still, the lifelong dance between foresight and flying by the seat of our pants, though often unpleasant, is the means by which the human spirit is refined and made resilient. Such a resilient spirit can be found in True Repertory Theatre’s Artistic Director, Donald Sheehan.
Developing a passion for theater at the age of thirteen, Sheehan holds an MFA in Acting from Trinity Rep Conservatory in Providence, RI, and has worked extensively as both an actor and director with major regional theatres such as Williamstown Theatre Festival, Trinity Rep, Beowulf, The Gamm, and The Theatre Cooperative. He founded True Repertory Theater in 2000.
A true talent, matched equally with passion, Sheehan was set to join a prestigious theater company in New York City, but life had other plans. “I woke up one morning and I was so swollen and felt very ill,” recalls Sheehan, “I found out, the summer of 1999, that I had kidney disease and it changed everything.” The decision to forgo acting opportunities in NYC was made all the more difficult by the fact that Sheehan would need to maintain employment with insurance benefits to manage his intense and expensive treatment. “I found myself having to focus on keeping a day job that didn’t make me happy while undergoing dialysis and keeping up with my treatment plan,” says Sheehan.
Staying in Massachusetts with family to provide support meant Sheehan had to turn to local opportunities to continue his passion while dealing with a chronic disease. While relying on medication for number of years kept his condition manageable, eventually dialysis was necessary. “I was going to my 9-5, which didn’t help my health, then going to dialysis three days a week for four-hour blocks, then to rehearsals for whatever project I was involved in, but I had to keep doing theater. I refused to give it up. It was what sustained me and gave me a sense of normalcy,” explains Sheehan.
While dealing with chronic health issues, Sheehan made sure to continue making a new plan for his life and found a dire need for local theater in surrounding communities. “I realized there was plenty of local and community theater in the big cities, but it was not easily found outside of places like New York and Boston, so I decided to make my own.” True Repertory Theater opened in 2000 and quickly became a hub for local talent and local ideas.
After over a decade of managing his kidney disease, Sheehan was finally able to receive a kidney transplant on July, 19, 2016 at Mass General Brigham Transplant Center. After his transplant, Sheehan founded a nonprofit, Project 719 which is a community-based outreach initiative that brings awareness and fundraising to various organizations whose missions align with the dramatic themes of the True Rep season.
This year marks the ten-year anniversary of Sheehan’s transplant and with that milestone came the inspiration to share his story in hopes that others waiting for a transplant or managing disease would be able to relate to and feel hope for a life past illness while in the thick of enduring it. “I had been journaling my thoughts and feelings about the whole process for a long time, and last year I came to my colleague, Victoria, and started sharing this idea with her. I wanted to tell a success story on the anniversary of my transplant and also be able to give back in some way,” says Sheehan. In a unique spin, instead of one person writing an original play, Sheehan began to work with four other people in the company -each of them adding their own unique style and perspective. The collaboration with Sheehan, and co-writers, Victoria Bond, Maureen Cornell, Mike Hoban, and James Sullivan, resulted in True Repertory Theater’s first original work, “Hold Please! Drama, Dialysis, Dead end Jobs and How Katherine Helmond Saved My Soul.”
“Working together on this was a huge educational experience,” says Bond, Associate Artistic Director, “We learned a lot about this disease and what it takes to overcome it.” “There are over 100,000 people in the U.S. alone waiting for a transplant,” says Sheehan. “Still, our play is relatable in many ways -not just for people with chronic disease or waiting for a transplant,” he assures. “Most people can relate to being tied to a non-fulfilling, 9-5 job that takes a lot out of you, or trying to juggle your dreams with reality, or using humor to get through difficult things -there are plenty of themes in the play that anyone can recognize and appreciate.”
In addition to Hold Please! raising awareness and being a relatable experience to many people, Sheehan is also donating a portion of the proceeds to the Mass General Brigham Transplant Center in honor of Dr. Cecil Coggins -a foremost nephrologist in Boston, an instructor at Harvard Medical School, and editor for the Annual Review of Medicine.
Sheehan’s play explores his journey through the phases of illness, treatment, and triumph and is a new, original work to the theater community. “We have been creating by the seat of our pants in real time,” says Cornell, “We came together with open minds and were aware that some things would not work, but we stayed flexible and appreciate that theater is, naturally, a collaborative art. This has been that on steroids -it is an unusual way to make a play, but we have loved it. This theater has made a huge difference in my life.”
Hoban had more of an outside take on the process, “I am a sketch writer, so I am not as immersed in the story and that means I can give kind of an overall, outside perspective that can get lost with too much hyperfocus. I love that this play, and this theater, prove that you can still have a good life, even if it doesn’t go exactly how you want it to.”
“I come here to learn -to learn from these people I work with. We show up, ready to work together with open minds and it’s been neat to see what we can do,” says Sullivan. “You can’t have an ego and if you leave that at the door, you can do some really great stuff!”
Bond had her own health scare and found that her passion for theater carried her through times that could have been all-consuming. “I had a health scare and it was surreal to be worried and going through tests, and waiting and feeling helpless, but I brought scripts along with me and reading those helped me find calm and focus.” Bond is also continually focused on True Repertory Theater’s mission -to be an incubator for new works, new voices, and new ideas. “Community theater should not just be the classic plays or the big titles -the ones everyone already knows about. Community theater should be a place to showcase new works and ideas from people around you. It is a place of connection in a world of disconnection.”
Sheehan has been connecting people and creativity to the community for over two decades as True Repertory Theater celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year. Hold Please! is only one way you can be a part of the magic happening at True Repertory Theater. On Sept. 25, 26, and 27, the company will host Playwright Platform, their 4th Annual New Play Festival. These evenings will feature selections from 24 plays in 72 hours -chosen from over 100 submissions. Sheehan explains, “This festival gives new playwrights a chance to have their work heard and to see what impact it has on the audience. There are already some we have selected that are really special and we want to produce them as mainstay plays for the company.”
If you are looking for a way to celebrate and make a difference financially for this amazing local theater, then you don’t want to miss True Repertory Theater’s fundraiser, “The Greatest Gift on Earth” -a circus-themed fundraiser celebrating Sheehan’s transplant anniversary. “The theme started off with the idea that life is a roller-coaster,” says Sheehan, “And then it turned into life is a balancing act -like in a circus and before you know it, we had a whole circus- themed fundraiser going with the ‘greatest gift’ referring to organ donation and the healing power of art.” The fundraiser will take place at the Pembroke Community Center on Oct. 3 at 7p.m. The proceeds will also go to The Mass General Brigham Transplant Center and True Repertory Theater to help cover the cost of production.
With so many incredible things happening, and Sheehan at the helm of it all, it is hard to believe that ten years ago things seemed quite bleak for him. “I want to share my story to help others who feel stuck and scared. I want them to know that things can get better. The key is to find your personal ‘medicine’ -be it laughter, theater, or whatever moves you through the hard times.” For as unpredictable and cruel as life can be, it can also be constant in providing opportunities for connection and inspiration. Sheehan and True Repertory Theater have taken a could-have-been finale, and turned hardship into a story where not only Sheehan’s new dreams come true, but others have the space and opportunity for theirs to come true as well. Success in the big, flashy ways, doesn’t always mean fulfillment, and when it comes to creating a life of meaning and purpose, Sheehan is purely aspirational.
For Ticket and Upcoming Event Information please visit:
www.Truerepertorytheater.org