Written by Lochlan MacLean and February Schneck, I AM GOING TO DIE (and all they gave me were these lousy cupcakes), centers on “The Figure,” a character who works with the audience to discover who they are and what their life was all about.

Through a new improv persona created each night, the play demonstrates how the experiences of life and death are universal, regardless of who we are. It explores the dual perspectives of a person facing their own mortality and a person processing the loss of a loved one, seeking to open up crucial conversations around these difficult topics.

The production holds a particularly poignant origin story. Lochlan MacLean wrote the original concept for the play after receiving a terminal diagnosis, which offered a new perspective on life and death. Following their passing, close friend February Schneck completed the original script and, with the support of MacLean’s community, produced it as a ten-minute play. Since then, Schneck has adapted the show; Sylvia Grosvold stars as “the Figure.”

I AM GOING TO DIE (and all they gave me were these lousy cupcakes) is a thought provoking, entertaining show that tackles the issues of identity, death, and, of course, cupcakes, with humor and depth. With its rather unusual premise of a death day party, one might think the show would lean morbid, but not in the hands of Sylvia Grosvold, who does a masterful job of bringing the nuanced script to life, deftly improvising with every surprise the audience throws her way. Despite the tough terrain of a play centered around death, Grosvold brings a potent touch of humor, insight and absurdity. The show leaves its audience with new perspectives on death and life.