Three years ago Brennen Reeves, a College of Charleston grad, performed Breathe. A True Story for one night at Theatre 99. Seven years ago, at age 19, Reeves received a double lung transplant.
Breathe is Reeves’ story, a one-man show that follows his lifelong struggle with cystic fibrosis — a terrifying diagnosis at age 15 — and eventually, his double lung transplant. Breathe. A True Story heads to PURE Theatre on Sat. Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online.
In a 2014 City Paper review of the play, writer Katherine LaDue described Reeve’s show as one of “unembellished sincerity,” featuring both humor and gravity. She continues, “He doesn’t attempt to tell the audience how to feel or what to get out of his story, allowing it to take on that much more power and profundity. With Breathe. A True Story, he’s created an experience that is nothing short of eye-opening.”
Breathe is directed and co-created by fellow former Charlestonian, David Lee Nelson, who has dealt with is own health crises recently. Just this July, City Paper featured Nelson and his struggle with stage four colon cancer in the cover story, “Laughing Matters.” Nelson, like Reeves, dealt with his cancer diagnosis with humor, writing, “Apparently I’m part of a trend of people in their 30s getting colon cancer. Which is exciting because I’ve always considered myself to be forward thinking.”
There will be a table set up at PURE on the night of Reeves’ performance with more information regarding donations and transplantations from Sharing Hope SC.
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