Review: INFORMED CONSENT Provokes Thoughts in Audiences of Atlanta

"Who are you really? Are you your genes? Or are you your memories? And when memory fades, who are you then?" That was the question asked by Dr. Jillian Elliot, the main character of Informed Consent, which is this week's off-Broadway comedy drama that is being performed at the Horizon Theatre Company.

By definition, informed consent is the process by which the treating health care provider discloses appropriate information to a competent patient so that the patient may make a voluntary choice to accept or refuse treatment. It originates from the legal and ethical right the patient has to direct what happens to his/her body, and from the ethical duty of the physician, to involve the patient in his/her health care.

In this case, rather, it asks the questions of how much science is too much? What is race? Is my DNA really my history and my destiny?

In life, we have many choices. We choose what meals we want each day. We choose what we want to wear. We even choose our spouses and the lives we'd share we them. However, one thing we cannot choose is our DNA. We can't choose what illnesses are buried deep within chromosomes in our genetics, or if these illnesses will attack our bodies, or even when. That was what Jillian had to face.

Based on a true story, Informed Consent is about Jillian Elliot, a genetic anthropologist, who wants to save a Native American tribe from their battle with diabetes. She gains their trust, but has her own battle with medical ethics because of her desire to protect her family, her friends, and even herself. This is an electrifying new play by one of the most exciting voices in American theater, and has been called "urgent, challenging, and of-the-moment" (Cleveland Plain Dealer).

Like other productions at the Horizon Theatre Company, Informed Consent, which is directed by Lisa Adler, will challenge the way you view ethics, morality, genetics, and heritage. The production runs until November 8.