Buddies in Bad Times Theatre welcomes the World Premiere of HER2 a Nightwood Theatre production.
By MAJA ARDAL
Directed by KIM BLACKWELL
Starring OLUNIKE ADELIYI, DIANE D’AQUILA, MONICA DOTTOR, KYRA HARPER, BRENDA KAMINO, NANCY PALK, ELLORA PATNAIK, CHICK REID, MARIA VACRATSIS & BAHAREH YARAGHI
Nightwood Theatre is well known for their successful amalgamation of diverse female artists—women who come to together to inspire, develop and produce innovative theatre. Their newest production, Her2 follows this tenet to the nth degree. It’s a story that examines the relationship between medical science and the human spirit. On stage, we see women of varied social and cultural backgrounds, diverse ages and ethnicities all brought together by one thing they have in common—a highly aggressive form of breast cancer, to which they are recruited for a clinical trial of a new drug.
The question playwright Maja Ardal explores in HER2, is whether community can impact immunity.
“During my cancer treatments I found that the chemotherapy rooms were full of isolated individuals. I wondered, what would happen if a group of women spent their treatment time together? I read about clinical trials with cancer patients in one room receiving the drug. This captured my imagination. The theme became clear. Can community well-being encourage immunity? Is scientific research willing to accept the idea?”
As in real-life, while the researcher measures the experiment’s progress in numbers and science, the subjects are left to work through both the dread and spark of hope that surrounds the trial. As the women experience the treatments, they bond together forming a community characterized not by medical statistics, but by their human traits of courage, humour and wisdom.
One of the reasons theatre is so wonderful, is that it often compels conversations about the world we live in. Her2 includes beautiful choreography, original music and features multimedia projections and imagery, which are woven in throughout the play to deepen the conversation and exploration of community and immunity.
Join the cast and several panelists after the Saturday matinee performances for post-show discussions. Free with admission.
On stage through February 1, 2015.
For more information on the production please visit: http://buddiesinbadtimes.com/
For more information on the HER2 gene please visit: www.breastcancer.org
Leave a Reply