Just recieved

Dance theatre isn't my thing. As an Edinburgh native and a Fringe Festival veteran I've been subjected to too many sub-student level interpretive dance offerings to take the genre seriously.

And as regional press manager for Cancer Research UK, the thought of using dance to communicate any messages about cancer sounds like it could be inappropriate.

So I took my seat at Chickenshed's latest production, Slender Threads  - the story of a woman's cancer diagnosis told through dialogue, dance and audio-recordings - fearing the worst.

One hour later I was congratulating the cast and creators on a truly memorable and moving piece of theatre.

Chickenshed isn't a company that shies away from difficult issues. Its last offering focussed on youth knife crime. Slender Threads at Edinburgh's Zoo Roxy tackles a woman's cancer diagnosis and its effect on her family.

And it does it well.

Using dancer's bodies and two simple white doors, the confusion, hopes, fears and desires of a family following the mother's cancer diagnosis are elegantly portrayed, even to a dance theatre philistine like me.

Professionally orchestrated lighting and multimedia projections add to the atmosphere and bring the story along smoothly.

But it is the careful use of audio recordings of interviews with oncologists and cancer survivors that really hits home. Hearing these clearly genuine voices created a link between the stage action and the reality that so many people face. It is pretty powerful stuff, and it really underlines why we put so much emphasis on working with survivors to get our messages across.

The piece clearly struck a chord with the audience. Looking around I could see a few teary eyes. It wasn't a tale with a happy ending, or really an ending at all. The last words were "I've stopped fighting cancer - I'm too busy living."

Inspiring, intelligent and moving theatre at the Fringe.

John Fyall
Regional Press Manager - Scotland
Cancer Research UK