Denise Pitter

Can you tell me about Unseen Unheard and your role in it?

It tells the untold breast cancer stories of black women in the UK. It is set in a support group, a space where black women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, wherever they are in their journey, come along and talk about their experiences. Not just of breast cancer but to be a black woman having breast cancer, as there is an extra layer there. I play Pauline, who has recovered from cancer/NED [no evidence of disease] – she started this group as she realised it was needed. The show is produced by Theatre Peckham in association with Black Women Rising, an amazing group that was set up by Leanne Pero. The show’s writer [Naomi Denny] interviewed women with cancer and based the show not on any one particular person but on an amalgamation of different characters from that group. It’s all based on real life and lived experiences. It makes you feel an extra weight of responsibility and the need to make sure you bring truth to the themes and stories of the play.

As an actor, how do you take on such heavy content matter?

I must admit it is very hard. From day one, there was a therapist at rehearsals. They come in at the beginning and end of every week to keep us safe as performers. As a cast, very early on we said that we needed to ‘shake this off’ at the end of each rehearsal, and especially during the show, we needed to protect ourselves. During rehearsals, we make sure to listen to good music and to move, a bit of meditation or affirmations; we are still playing with things. It is heavy, so there is a need to shake that off at the end of the day.

What attracts you to a project?

As I get older, I have started to think more about how I can change the world or make it a better place. Those of us in theatre can do our bit to change the world. In a show you can raise questions and tackle matters that can be difficult. Sometimes after the theatre, it is easier to go and discuss a topic or debate an idea. Theatre can help change people’s lives.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Be comfortable in your skin. You must be competitive but also have a sense of community. When you go into an audition room, go for it and do your best, but when you are out of that room, be everything for others auditioning – give what you want to receive. Also, learn to budget. You have loads of money one minute, and not a lot the next. Consider what you do in between; find a job you enjoy, but that is also flexible.

Unseen Unheard runs at Theatre Peckham from April 27 until May 4: theatrepeckham.co.uk