Bodies Under Siege: Two Powerful Stories of Cancer and Survival at Market Hall

Thu, Nov 19, 7:30 PM
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre

Public Energy Performing Arts brings two very different perspectives on cancer, survival and the human body to Peterborough’s Market Hall on Thursday, November 19, with Bodies Under Siege, a double bill featuring works by Kate Story and Allison Cummings.

Peterborough artist and writer Kate Story presents Hysterical, a sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant exploration of their experience with uterine cancer. Combining movement and storytelling, the work also examines the treatment of people with uteruses within the medical establishment.

Originally from Newfoundland, Story has been a prominent figure in Peterborough’s arts community for years. A recipient of the prestigious K.M. Hunter Artist Award for Theatre, Story is also an accomplished novelist whose book Urchin was a finalist for a Governor General’s Literary Award. Their work spans theatre, dance, fiction and multidisciplinary performance.

Sharing the bill is Opponent, a contemporary dance work by Toronto-based choreographer Allison Cummings, performed by Peterborough-born dancer Christy Stoeten. Both women are breast cancer survivors, and the piece explores their shared experiences of diagnosis, treatment and the lasting impact on their bodies and creative lives.

Cummings is an established choreographer and performer whose career includes appearances at New York’s Lincoln Center Library and the National Arts Centre, along with a residency through the National Ballet of Canada’s Open Space program.

Stoeten, a graduate of the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, has performed with numerous Canadian choreographers and presented her own work at festivals including Luminato and SummerWorks. She is also a dance educator who has developed movement programming for cancer patients in partnership with Princess Margaret Hospital.

While Hysterical approaches its subject through storytelling and humour, Opponent relies on movement to express experiences that words alone may struggle to capture.

Bodies Under Siege takes place Thursday, November 19, at 7:30 p.m. at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre, 140 Charlotte Street. Tickets range from $20 to $50 plus fees and are available through Market Hall.

For more information, visit Public Energy Performing Arts.