Musical in regional Queensland tackles difficult topic of cancer and how to talk about it with friends

ABC NEWS (Australia)

In the country Queensland town of Monto a performing arts group is tackling a difficult topic in the form of the musical. The group has premiered 'silk rags', a show that confronts what to say and what not to say when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer.

Transcript

00:00 It's been more than 10 years in the making and has finally made it to the stage.

00:07 There's a person standing behind me.

00:10 It's got so many messages on so many levels and it's not just about cancer.

00:15 It's about people, it's about relationships.

00:19 It's a message close to Grace Ellerton's heart.

00:22 She performed with her grandmother who's undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

00:28 Going through such a similar situation, it makes the play feel so much more emotional.

00:35 The composer travelled from the Gold Coast region to see her music come to life on the regional Queensland stage.

00:43 Thrilled and really humbled.

00:45 Dee Handyside started writing the music in 2007 when she received her own diagnosis,

00:53 but needed a playwright to bring it to the stage.

00:56 She met Bryony Sykes at a fundraising event 11 years ago.

01:02 She said, "Oh, I've done this play and it's about this breast cancer patient and her friends and all the silly things that they say."

01:10 The group hopes to take Silk Rags on the road,

01:13 starting conversations in other communities about how to deal with the elephant in the room, talking about cancer.

01:21 We're just human, we make mistakes, but it's a way of then helping and supporting people in our community who get a nasty diagnosis.

01:30 The playwright has since died, giving the composer added motivation to carry on their message.

01:38 I'm so proud that I've kept Bryony's dream alive, our dream.

01:43 I wish like crazy she was here to see it.

01:48 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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