Wolverhampton show to tell tale of battle with blood cancer
A poignant but up-lifting show about a man's battle with cancer will be performed in Wolverhampton.
Actor and writer Toby Peach's one-man-show will not only celebrate life but also mortality and the wonders of the human body.
'The Eulogy of Toby Peach' will be at the Arena Theatre from tomorrow and will recount Toby's battle with blood cancer Hodgkin's lymphoma which attacks the lymph nodes.
He fought and beat the disease on two separate occasions aged 19 and 21.
His highly-acclaimed show embarked on a UK tour after featuring at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Toby said: "I'm really excited to be giving The Eulogy a new lease of life in 2016. We were so inspired by the learnings and ideas taken away from the experience last year.
"Since Edinburgh we've been invited by numerous charities to bring The Eulogy to their audiences – receiving a standing ovation from 300 young people and their support teams at Teenage Cancer Trust's conference Find Your Sense Of Tumour was an unbelievable experience.
He continued: "I cannot wait to reach more audiences across the UK with our show and outreach work, continuing to raise awareness about cancer whilst delivering a show that engages its audiences in this difficult subject matter."
Toby's Eulogy will take the audience on a tour of the so-called Cancer Club, let them sample chemotherapy cocktails, select the perfect funeral playlist and marvel at Willy Wonka's life-saving stem cell machine.
Toby decided to write his own show to explain how the cancer changed his life, and hopes his story can help other cancer patients.
From diagnosis to remission, relapse and treatment, Toby's journey with cancer offers an exploration and interpretation of modern science.
Toby is a theatre-maker, performer and director. He was on the BBC Arts Fund's Ones to Watch list in 2015 and has recently finished his BBC Community Theatre fellowship with The Old Vic.
There, he worked on various projects with the OV New Voices team, including as assistant director on their Community Company's production of Ages.
He has also been with theatre-makers Coney and is now an associate artist with them. Projects he's been involved in include their House of Cards production at Kensington Palace and a community-led project with Fantasy High Street.
He's also been involved in the development of their Inspiration Days and their Adventures in Learning projects.
Tickets cost £10 and £8 concessions.
The show starts at 7.30pm.
