Slender Threads @ Zoo Roxy

Physical theatre at its best

Feature by Julie Macfarlane | 18 Aug 2011

A powerful fusion of theatre and dance, Slender Threads candidly portrays the emotional journey of a woman diagnosed with breast cancer - through treatment, recovery, relapse, and beyond. It gives a stunning insight into how the experience affects not just her, but her husband and young daughter too.

Thoughtful use of dramatic conventions and strikingly believable performances from the family evoke a real sense of empathy, with beautiful symbolism throughout the piece. Fearlessly expressive choreography is complemented by dynamic visuals projected across a few well-utilised screens. The original soundtrack of real life experiences and medical truths provides a broader appreciation of what it means to live with cancer.


Deeply moving, yet witty in all the right places, this is a production with a purpose. Admirably informative, Slender Threads has the potential to reach out to a lot of people; the creative team should be commended for their careful research and their willingness to tackle a difficult subject with realism and respect. A London-based company, Chickenshed are known for their desire to create “extraordinary, pioneering, challenging, dynamic, groundbreaking, genuinely inclusive, beautiful theatre” and in Slender Threads, they have achieved exactly that.

Zoo Roxy

5 - 28 Aug 2011, 5.15pm

http://www.chickenshed.org.uk