Welcome back to our Offbeat Spotlight series. Over the next few days we're highlighting all the strange and wonderful things that the Offbeat Festival has to offer. The Offbeat Festival runs from the 9th-15th of September, and is a collaboration between The Old Fire Station, Oxford Playhouse, New Theatre and Gloucester Green Market. In addition to a multitude of shows, there are also workshops, and exhibition, late night events including a poetry slam, comedy scratch night, and listening party, and more.
Here, we catch up Hannah Ali Khan, who is performing her new play Cancer B*tch! at the Burton Taylor Studio on Sunday. Through the character of Molly, a woman in her twenties battling thyroid cancer, we watch the juggling act of balancing a serious illness with the pressures of young adulthood. Read on to find out more.
Daily Information:Hi Hannah, thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us today. How would you describe Cancer B*tch! to someone unfamiliar?
Hannah Ali Khan: Cancer B*tch! is a one woman play about Molly, a 24 year old who has thyroid cancer and is completely, utterly, totally, definitely fine. It's loosely inspired by my own experience of having thyroid cancer and gives a funny but touching insight into what it can be like to have cancer as a young adult, from birthday parties gone awry to late night googling sessions to a lot of time spent waiting... and waiting... and waiting...
DI: Your show deals with cancer with exhilaratingly bluntness and humor. How did you determine the right tone for the piece to take?
HAK: I think humour is often used to cope with serious life events such as cancer - it was definitely something I used a lot (and still use today!) so it made sense to include a lot of humour in the script. There are also a lot of tragic and heartfelt cancer stories out there, especially on film and TV, so I wanted to make something different that reflected my attitude throughout my journey with lightness and honesty, while also showing how difficult the experience can be.
DI: What have your previous performances looked like? Would you say this is more of a departure or a continuation from your previous creative work?
HAK: The first full length play I wrote, which was developed on the North Wall's Catalyst program, was quite similar, based on real life events following three young women and using humour to explore a serious topic (in that case racism). My second play was very different, and was set in a future dystopian Britain with a large cast of characters. Cancer B*tch! feels like a return to the sort of thing I love to write - personal, contemporary and tender, with a familiar central character that (hopefully) allows the audience to connect with the big topic underneath.
DI: After this show, what’s next for you?
HAK: I'd love to take Cancer B*tch! further, both creatively and geographically! I'm keen to use this performance to see what works in the play and what doesn't, and use that to write a new draft which we can hopefully take on a regional tour around the South. I'm also currently part of a Channel 4 New Writers Scheme and am writing a pilot TV episode of Cancer B*tch! for that, which will be taking up the next 6 months of my life!
DI: Who is this ‘perfect for fans of’? If you had to compare the vibes of your show to another piece of media, what would it be?
HAK: My goal is to create something that feels like a combination of the humour of Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag, the honesty of Michaela Cole's I May Destroy You, and the contrasts of Camilla Whitehall's Big Mood - overall a play that feels fun, young, and exciting with serious and relatable themes underneath.
DI: Finally, please describe Cancer B*tch! in three words.
HAK: Funny, raw, and fresh!
Cancer B*tch! is on at the Burton Taylor Studio, on Sun 15th Sep, 3.30pm. For more info and to book tickets, click here.