'Pirates of the Chemo' a Clever Take on Breast Cancer

By WY Daily Staff Wednesday, September 23, 2009

The cast rehearses a scene for the Friday debut of

In Paul Schutte’s new play, six actresses transform from mothers and wives to pirates, complete with hooks, eye patches and scarves dotted with skulls and crossbones. Schutte’s pirates aren’t searching for treasure or tormenting the seas; they’re searching for peace from their own tormentor: cancer.

“Pirates of the Chemotherapy” will be performed at 8 p.m. Sept. 25 and 27 at the Kimball Theater in Merchants Square, with all of the proceeds going to the support groups Beyond Boobs and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The play, written and produced by Schutte, stars six women portraying members of a breast cancer support group. The cast and crew are careful to say this is not a play about death; it’s about the surprising humor that comes with facing a devastating diagnosis.

The play focuses on the different ways the breast cancer survivors deal with their experience. The six very different women – including a raunchy Southern woman, an earthy hippie and a recovering cocaine addict – discuss how cancer has affected their views on marriage, intimacy, religion and even finances. At the suggestion of one outspoken member, the women deem themselves “pirates,” finding strength in the image of the much-feared seamen.

After seeing a friend, who was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer, wearing a headscarf and hoop earrings, Schutte thought about how cancer survivors look like pirates. He thought of other common elements between cancer survivors and pirates – pirates are often portrayed as missing body parts and having false replacements, such as hooks for hands or pegs for legs. But with even those setbacks, pirates continue to face danger head on and without fear, and Schutte took inspiration from that idea.

“In today’s culture, we attach symbolism to breasts and hair,” he says, adding that he wanted to explore what happens when both are lost. He was surprised by the responses he received when he spoke with breast cancer survivors.

“I found, much to my surprise, these women were incredibly strong,” he says. “Some even viewed it as a blessing. It forces you to sit up and look at what’s important.”

He wrote a first draft he says was awful and then wrote a second he showed to the members of Beyond Boobs, a local non-profit support group for young women diagnosed with breast cancer. The group was very encouraging, as evidenced by a visit at Tuesday’s rehearsal from Beyond Boobs co-founder Mary Beth Gibson. Gibson was impressed with what she saw on the stage.

“It amazes me … he’s a guy, but it resonates. It keeps getting me here,” she says, laying a hand on her heart. Schutte “got it,” she says, especially the vulnerability of losing one’s breasts. She related to one character’s insecurities over how her husband will react, she says.

Schutte says he didn’t want to write a play about the people who die from breast cancer, but about the two million survivors.

“When I found out there are two million survivors, that kind of changed the flavor for me,” he says. “Breast cancer never kills; it’s only when it’s metastasized that it becomes deadly. If you catch it early, you’ve just saved a life, so I hope this is a wake-up call for early detection.”

In his research, Schutte spoke with support group members and read blogs about the topic. He found that while every woman was going through a similar experience, each had a different outlook. Some women inspired specific plot points and lines; Schutte credits Gibson with one scene in which a character offers help and another responds that people always offer help but rarely seem to give it.

“Mary Beth said, ‘Just do something!’ Then the person thinks, ‘Wow, you really do care a lot about me,’” Schutte says.

The six actresses – Donna Wolf, Melissa Mead, Annie Cacioppo, Ashlie Bruun Ranhorn, Megan Brown and Le’Royce Bratsveen – were also impressed with Schutte’s ability to capture the camaraderie between women. Many of the women, including Wolf and Brown, had worked with Schutte on previous projects and were moved when they read his script. Each marveled over Schutte’s ability to capture the humor in suffering, while still spreading the message that early detection is key.

“I never really appreciated the funny parts,” Bratsveen says. “I’m hoping people don’t come in expecting it to be sad. It’s very educational — not preachy.”

One scene showcases that humor; the actresses take on circus personas, with Ranhorn playing a magician with the ability to make Mead’s hair disappear. In another scene, Cacioppo recounts her own sexual escapades with her much-loved husband to peals of laughter from her castmates.

All of the actresses have been touched by cancer; Mead has had regular mammograms since finding a lump at the age of 30, while Bratsveen lost a grandmother and two friends to cancer. Ranhorn has a friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 26. “One of the things I hope we get across is early detection,” Bratsveen says.

Wolf says her role in the play, as a recovering cocaine addict now facing cancer, helped her comprehend her own mother’s struggle. “When my mother got cancer, I didn’t understand it at the age of 12. I was watching it from the inside, but on the outside,” she says. “But now being on the inside, it’s very different.”