Theatre | Patient Commando

Patient Commando #TentTalk – Live Journal

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Eamonn in Patient Commando Blog

“Healing Through Theatre” – July 10th, 5PM at The Toronto Fringe Festival Tent Talks

Relevant Hashtags: #FringeTT, #TentTalk #FringeClub

♦♦♦ Pre Event ♦♦♦ 13:00 via @PatientCommando: Join us Today for our @Toronto_Fringe tent talk with @CancerCantDance details on FB http://t.co/9Sba9WPu

13:05 via @PatientCommando: PM Tent Talk at 581 Bloor Street for @Toronto_Fringe – Come one, Come all.

(RT via @mhoul3)

13:12 via @Colleen_Young: @PatientCommando see you at the #FringeTT at 5pm for your show. Can’t wait http://t.co/vPGmEfJk

13:39 via @PatientCommando: Everything you need to know about today’s Tent Talk event – http://t.co/0sIdoxca

(RT via @Toronto_Fringe, @rosabourin, @BeeRaskob)

16:00 via @PatientCommando: 1 Hour to show time @Toronto_Fringe “Healing Through Theatre” #FringeTT http://t.co/0sIdoxca

(RT via @EatPooLove)

16:41 via @PatientCommando: Getting our team sorted, the camera primed and twitter feed at the ready ♦♦♦ Event Start ♦♦♦ 17:00 via @verbitty: Taking in a @Toronto_Fringe #TentTalk at Artist Alley about theatre’s power to heal, follow me for all the live action! 17:01 via @PatientCommando: Tent talk starting and its a packed house

17:02 via @PatientCommando: Clare from @Toronto_Fringe kicks us off

17:04 via @PatientCommando: Intros with Brian G Smith, Dan Stolfi, Zal, and Dr. Jeremy Photo: http://t.co/4Uw41jZK

17:06 via @PatientCommando: Zal talking about what we do http://t.co/fIZCl19c

17:08 via @verbitty: Patients like to tell their story, empowers them to engage their providers for better care

17:08 via @PatientCommando: Dr. Jeremy talking [...] continue the story

Tagged Under: Brian Smith, Cancer Can't Dance Like This, colleen young, Dan Stolfi, event cast, feed, fringe, healing through theatre, honest ed's, humour, improv, jeremy rezmovitz, kathy kastner, live, margaret atwood, Patient Commando, performance, photos, public event, speakers, storytelling, tent talk, Theatre, Toronto, twitter, you and media, Zal Press

Tent Talk: Healing Through Theatre

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Eamonn in Patient Commando Blog

Today at 5:00 PM we will present our Toronto Fringe Festival Tent Talk: Healing Through Theatre. All are welcome to attend.

Our Executive Director Zal Press, will be joined by speakers Daniel Stolfi, of the Award Winning Theatre Production, Cancer Can’t Dance Like This, and Dr. Jeremy Rezmovits, from Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital. Brian G. Smith, Creative Director for Patient Commando and The Second-City Alumni will facilitate this humorous one-hour event.

During a kick-off event at the CBC’s Glenn Gould Theatre last year, Brian orchestrated a brilliant performance that demonstrated the power of theatre and humour. While today’s event will be a slightly different program it will undoubtably build upon the efficacy of performance. Join us.

If you can’t make it we’ll be on Twitter the entire time tweeting #FringeTT

Tagged Under: brian g smith, CBC, Daniel Stolfi, Dr. Jeremy Rezmovits, event, Fringe Festival, funny, glenn gould, healing, humour, performance, public, the second city, Theatre, Toronto, Zal Press

Patient Stories at The Fringe

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Eamonn in Uncategorized

Two weeks ago we shared news on two patient storytelling events that will take place during this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival.

After a more thorough review of the festival’s listings, we’re pleased to announce that we found three (3) more. With the Fringe opening it’s doors tomorrow we felt it was an appropriate time to list all of the patient performances, whether chronic illness plays a starring role or is simply an undercurrent to the performance’s plot. Healing Through Theatre Host: Brian G. Smith (Second City Alumni) Panel: Zal Press (Patient Commando), Dr. Jeremy Rezmovitz (Sunnybrook Hospital), Daniel Stolfi (Cancer Can’t Dance Like This)

Eat Poo Love By: Paul Clement, Evan Mackay, Dan Mackay Cast: Dan Mackay, Evan Mackay, Paul Clement

Paul Clement survived Stage 2 Colon Cancer and went on to blog about it (selected blogs available here), and eventually co-wrote a stage version of the blog which will be performed at the 2012 Toronto Fringe Festival as “Eat, Poo, Love”. He recently appeared on the RogersTV program ‘daytime Peel’ to discuss his journey through the illness, and his fundraising work with Colon Cancer Canada.

Mum And The Big C By: Lynne Kamm

Stamped: A Story About Daniel, Who Happens to Have Autism By: Sarah Magni

21 Days By: Tabia Lau, Music by Mary Lougheed

If you know of patient performances that we have [...] continue the story

Tagged Under: CBC, chronic illness, eat poo love, elvira kurt, event details, festival, fringe, healing through theatre, mum and the big c, patient stories, randolph theatre, stamped, Theatre, Toronto, videos, youtube

The Fringe Festival Pushes Patient Story Into the Fray

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Eamonn in Patient Commando Blog

The Toronto Fringe Festival is arguably the city’s largest theatre event. This summer from July 4-15, over 150 performances will be presented to an expected audience of 100,000. That’s a whopping 4% of Toronto’s population.

What makes the Fringe exciting is the process in how acts are selected for the festival. Each year hundreds of creative applicants send in their ballot to have a show slotted for a Fringe playbill. With no judge or jury, the shows are picked at random, making for a wildly organic and impressive lineup.

Fringe audiences are accustomed to alternative theatre. Which is why it’s the perfect environment to showcase the new, truthful, gritty, and sometimes slightly less glamourous stories. In our minds The Fringe is also the ideal arena for patient storytelling.

Last year proved this with the highly acclaimed performance of Daniel Stolfi’s “Cancer Can’t Dance Like This”. Daniel’s show has since gone on to win the Canadian Comedy Award for Best One Person Show, and garner national attention.

This year will be no different. In fact this year’s program offers at least two patient story events for public consumption. Details of these shows below. Healing Through Theatre Host: Brian G. Smith (Second City Alumni) Panel: Zal Press (Patient Commando), Dr. Jeremy [...] continue the story

Tagged Under: 2012, acting, alternative, annex theatre, canadian comedy awards, Cancer Can't Dance Like This, dan mackay, Daniel Stolfi, eat poo love, evan mackay, events, festival, fringe, healing, health, honest ed's, jeremy rezmovitz, patient, paul clements, performance, randolph theatre, Stories, summer, Theatre, Toronto, Zal Press

Production Company Blends Live Theatre With Patient Experience | HIROC News

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Eamonn in Patient Commando Blog

A new Canadian entertainment production company is blending live theatre with the patient experience, in hopes of highlighting the importance of engaging patients in their healthcare.

Patient Commando’s debut production, Cancer Can’t Dance Like This, is May 12 in Toronto at the Glenn Gould Studio, CBC Broadcast Centre, 250 Front St. W.

Zal Press, Patient Commando founder, has had Crohn’s disease for 30 years and recently sold his business to start the company. Press plans to take the productions across the country to give patients, families and health providers the opportunity to look at illness and the patient experience from a fresh perspective.

“It’s not just a story for patients,” Press tells Axiom News.

“It is about experiencing and understanding (the patient perspective) through new eyes.”

Patient Commando uses public speaking, humour therapy workshops and live theatre to present compelling stories from the patient perspective. Cancer Can’t Dance Like This is a one-man show and comedic dramatization of Daniel Stolfi’s two-year battle with cancer.

Press hopes healthcare providers attend and learn more about the patient narrative.

“By making them open to the patient experience would be a voice to guide practice change. It’s instructive. It helps create a culture of safety.”

Proceeds from Patient Commando’s feature stage events [...] continue the story

Tagged Under: article, AXIOM, Cancer, Cancer Can't Dance Like This, comedy, health, HIROC, humour, news, Patient Commando, patient experience, productions, Theatre