Twins, Cancer, and Comedy
People are often quite curious about what it’s like to be an identical twin. Local sisters Anna and Georgina Lewis have been asked this question many, many times, and decided it was finally time to perform a much-needed act of public service to give people real answers.
The result is Unravelling Twins, a brand-new, comedic, autobiographical play written and performed by the sisters, premiering at the White Rock Theatre’s Studio 27 on 16 September.
Anna and Georgina initially started writing together to dispel the twin-myths propagated by films like The Parent Trap, Sweet Valley High, and the 90’s classic Twins, before life took an unexpected turn. Just a couple of months after their 40th birthday, Anna was unexpectedly diagnosed with breast cancer. The writing project soon turned into the sisters’ exchanging letters to keep their spirits up and to pass the time during endless hospital appointments.
Then, in 2024, and six months into her treatment, Anna saw a message in a Hastings WhatsApp group spreading the word about a free playwriting course. “I remember the date well because I was in hospital, recovering from a bilateral mastectomy,” Anna recounts. “Was it a sign? Maybe. Was I high on morphine? Definitely. In any case, the idea piqued my interest and I applied. I’d never written a play before, but I had an idea that I felt could work.”
The sisters’ earlier writing, combined with their letters and short dramatisations of their hospital experiences, became the foundation for Unravelling Twins.
Unravelling Twins is a play about twins. It’s a play about cancer. There’s also quite a lot about boobs in it. It’s also a comedy, proving that finding the humour in a dark situation is often the only way to stay sane. But, as Anna and Georgina are keen to emphasise, it is ultimately a love letter to everyone who has been there for someone else going through something incredibly difficult.
The project has been truly incubated and nurtured by the Hastings community. The sisters raised an impressive £3,700 through a Kickstarter campaign backed by 80 supporters. This funded collaboration with local creative professionals, LightSpaceColor and original music composed by Helen Riley.
Co-produced by Hastings Theatre Project, the twins have received ongoing mentoring and direction from Dan Hutton and Poppy Rowley. The production was also developed with support from Ellie Westbrook (TUFT Arts), who instigated a new work night at the Stables Theatre in December, the team behind a new writing showcase at the Scene and Heard festival in June.
The sisters feel incredibly lucky to be based in this area, noting the extraordinary support of local friends and family – from love and care packages at the school gates to joining them for the local Race for Life while Anna was undergoing chemotherapy. Now, thanks to the programming team at the White Rock, the fully developed script will make its stage debut, with hopes of touring the production elsewhere in the future.
Unravelling Twins will be performed at Studio 27, White Rock Theatre, Hastings on Wednesday, 16 September 2026 at 7:00 pm. Tickets: £14.80: whiterocktheatre.org.uk/whats-on/event/unravelling-twins-2026
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply