In The Orange Tree Theatre’s new production, The Company Man, Barnes resident Isla Blair plays a character suffering from Motor Neurone Disease. In an exclusive article she tells how she has taken on this enormous challenge...

When I got the part of Jane in The Company Man I approached the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) and they put me in touch with a fantastic woman called Tina Fay, who is suffering from Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

She is remarkable because she is relatively young. She got the disease when she was 54 and the prognosis is only about two years but, although her legs are paralysed and she is paralysed down one side and is losing her speech, she has lived with it for four years.

Tina lives in Portsmouth and we struck an instant rapport – we email each other and she will be coming to watch the play. She used to be a ballet dancer and when she stopped she became a tennis coach. They have a theory the fitter you are the more chance you have of getting MND.

It has been inspiring to work with her as not many people know about the illness and those that do find it scary because it is a disease that locks people in. I think Torben Betts [the writer of The Company Man] wrote about this disease because he wanted to draw people’s attention to it.

In the play, Jane gathers her family and friends together at her home. Although it is called The Company Man the play is also about this woman dealing with all the problems she faces from her illness while also examining her life.

At the beginning of the rehearsal process I had nightmares I had the disease and I was choking – that is how people with MND often die - but it is vital to raise the profile of this because the MNDA is looking for money for research as there is currently no cure.

The Company Man, The Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, October 6 - November 6, for more information and to book, visit orangetreetheatre.co.uk