THE H WORD & INCUBATION STATION

Apr 18

Written by Kerry Jules

It is theorized that seven minutes of final brain activity occur when a person dies. While we can never be certain what one might experience in those brief moments, it is a subject that has piqued

the interest of millions around the world. A simple look up on any search engine and theories flood in. Some who have come close to death have returned with retellings of their encounters.

You’ll find tales of those who recall floating over their bodies. Some recall landing in a field, often filled with tall grass and stunning flowers. The most common is a Life Review. This is

where a person’s life flashes before their eyes. Some say there is a screen filled with memories, positive, terrible, and everything in between. In those moments, only the truth is

revealed. What purpose are these memories serving? Cherie Amie a woman who passed away for 90 minutes appeared on Megyn Kelly in 2020 to recount her story. In her segment, she explains how

after her life review, she could pin point the common themes of struggle in her lifetime. She also learned how to clear herself of things latching onto her soul. Like many others,

Cherie achieved healing from her near-death experience. Could this healing sense be the point? But what of those who aren’t fortunate enough to return? Those who after their life review

won’t return with a second chance, what is the purpose for them?

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”-

James Baldwin

My name is Kerry Jules and I wrote a play. The H Word, is a play where the audience is placed directly in the center of what is known as the “final seven minutes” of brain activity, prior to

death. Where life and death intersect and one is left with nothing but themselves, their experiences and their truth. Our story centers around a deceased man who comes face to face

with his life story in the most unusual of ways. As he is guided through his memories, we travel through the human experience. Where we witness the battles and beauty that occur in

the overlapping of self. The H Word was derived from a number of places. The version of the play that exists today is a modification of its predecessor What Do They Call Me? A Play and labor of love written by

Seth Jackson, Nicole B. Cummings, and myself during our undergrad years. At the time our story centered around memory and the importance of who we will be remembered as when we die. At

the heart of our story was healing. How healing death can be for the life one has lived. Aiming to discover if true healing can be achieved in one's lifetime?

This among many exciting discoveries launched the birth of the revised adaptation of the play. Thanks to Aurway and the Incubation Station for facilitating a space for this work to blossom.

Serving as a week-long intensive workshop, the Incubation Station is aimed at further developing an original piece of theatre through a detailed system called the Aurway Method. In

early April, I had the amazing pleasure of having my show chosen as the inaugural piece for the Incubation Station. Through the use of the Aurway triangle method, collective collaboration and

conversation with the actors and the Aurway creative team, both the story and myself have grown immensely.

Aurway has truly found a way to curate a space safe enough for collaboration,

and challenging enough to push you outside of yourself and take risks.

The story has taken on new life from the very initial table read to today. During one of the exercises in the workshop, the actors improvised scenes using their knowledge of the story's given circumstances.

This was a defining moment for me as it shifted the trajectory in which I thought the story was heading.

These moments of discovery are a tribute to how incredible the facilitators were in guiding us through the workshop experience. Even more so, how important the workshop, the

actors and the deep conversations were in guiding The H Word to its storytelling destination. I look forward to where the story takes us next.