By Nicola Baldwin
Toured london Schools
13th October -12th December 2003

Funded by King's College London
Supported by the National Theatre Education

"succeeds in making genetics understandable while never underestimating the knotty moral and emotional issues surrounding testing, screening and therapy.....a strongly characterised, constantly challenging piece."
Lyn Gardner, The Guardian

Y Touring's acclaimed theatre of debate production The Gift tells the story of two generations of the Kay family's struggle and eventual victory over an inherited terminal genetic disease in an entertaining and deeply moving way


1998 - 16 year old Annie Kay is destined to be a great football player when she is struck down by a long term terminal genetic illness. Her 14 year old brother Ryan Kay fights for the right to be tested for the illness.

2028 - 16 year old Mark Kay a fast rising tennis star discovers that he was ‘selected’ at conception by his father Ryan Kay a commercial geneticist.

Within the main storyline other themes are explored including living with disability and long term illness, ethics, morality, father son and brother sister relationships.

The production raises questions about the issues of genetic testing and embryo selection in the reduction of inherited disease as well as examining how far parents should be allowed to go in choosing the characteristics of their children.

"We used to think our future was in the stars"

Director: Nigel Townsend
Associate Director - Education: Nicola Black
Designer: Ben Dickens
Casting: Director Derek Barnes

Cast
Ryan Kaye: Dominic Gerrard
Annie Kaye: Ffion jolly
Barbara Kaye: Hilary Burns
Mark Kaye: Simon Kirkson
Jennifer Kaye: Karianne Flaathen

	For further information about this project, email our Tour Producer David Jackson