Pump House Theatre Company Watford presents ‘Whose Life is it Anyway?’ by Brian Clark

The Pump House Theatre Company is proud to present ‘Whose Life is it Anyway?’ by Brian Clark; a powerful play that contains an abundance of warmth, witty dialogue and dark humour. It’s also a great showcase of brilliant theatre craft in action. 

Set in a hospital room, the action revolves around Claire Harrison (Siobhan Lambie Philip), a sculptor by profession, who has been paralysed from the neck down (quadriplegia) in a car accident and is determined to be allowed to die. 

Claire is a very relatable character and is surrounded by a number of other compelling characters, including doctors, nurses, and a lawyer, all of whom have their own strong perspectives and motivations, creating a rich and thought-provoking dramatic experience for the audience.

We asked Siobhan what the main physical challenges of this role are: “I find there are two main challenges physically with this role. The first is understanding how much we move, even without fully meaning to, shoulders, toes, muscles tensing and untensing. Then having to stop all of that and be still, yet relaxed. The other one is using my face a lot more, so when I would usually gesture with my arm in frustration, I try to use my face to convey that instead. I’m trying to push a lot more emotions through both really, my face can be an open book so I’m trying to exaggerate that, and be in the moment with Claire, to feel for how she would get her feelings across…”

Richard Woolf, Director and Chair of the Pump House Theatre added: “I am delighted to bring this play to the Pump House Theatre stage and continue to be amazed by the sheer talent of this stellar cast; supported by a brilliant team behind the scenes. Siobhan Lambie Philip who plays the main character role of Claire Harrison is a shining example of great acting craft in action and is very well supported by the rest of the cast who portray all the different roles involved in her future from the medics through to the social worker and legal experts.”

The production takes place between Tuesday 16 and Saturday 20 September 2025 at the Pump House theatre in Watford. Evening performances begin at 7.45pm. The ticket pricing is very reasonable at £18 for adults and £16 for concessions (students and over 60s). Buy 9 tickets using the link below and we’ll add a FREE seat to your booking. 

https://ticketsource.co.uk/pumphousetheatrecompany

This play contains strong language and adult themes.