Cancer. It’s a scary word, especially when it’s directed at you or someone you love, and people deal with their fear in many different ways. When poet Olive L. Sullivan was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, a particularly deadly and fast-acting cancer, in 2017, she wrote a play. She spent five months in a locked isolation ward at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and several years reaching a place healthy enough to start bringing the play to life.
The play, The Pocket Guide to Desert Survival, finds its hero, Thea, in a metaphorical desert, trying to come to terms with her cancer diagnosis. She interacts with several mythical beings as she journeys across the desert to a place of acceptance. There is anger, grief, and, yes, humor in the journey. The performance is a hybrid of traditional theater, ballet, and poetry, enhanced by the artistry of aerial performances by dancers from the Midwest Regional Ballet Company, guaranteed to be dynamic and visually stunning.
Sullivan is collaborating with Kaye Lewis, who founded and directs MRB, to produce the play in her hometown of Pittsburg, Kan. Sullivan is also a member of the band Amanita, who will provide the music for the production.
