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White Rooster Presents

The Cut of It

THE CUT OF IT from Kathleen Sitter on Vimeo.

Breasts. Practical things. Beautiful things. Dangerous things.

Loosely adapted from an original stage play by Meghan Greeley, The Cut of It is based on the research of Dr. Kathleen Sitter and uses the power of digital stories to amplify the voices of breast cancer patients. Inspired by true stories, the film follows a group of women navigating their own individual journeys with breast cancer: the confusion, the loss, the triumph, the pain. As each maneuvers the complexities of the health care system and the difficult choices that accompany a diagnosis (Surgery? Chemo? Radiation? Freezing one’s eggs? Shaving one’s head?), they are forced to re-examine their relationships with not just with their own bodies, but also with their partners and friends, their livelihoods, and their identities. From the discovery of a lump to the ringing of the obligatory chemo ward bell, from surgery and remission to relapse, different stages of the cancer journey are interwoven throughout the film, each shedding new light on what it means to live in an assigned female body when that body begins to fail.

For more information about the research study, please visit: https://www.patientstories.ca

Directed by Ruth Lawrence. Written by Meghan Greeley. Based on research conducted by Kathleen C. Sitter

White Rooster Theatre

White Rooster Theatre is a not-for-profit company. Its mandate is to produce and promote theatre works by women writers with a focus on Newfoundland and Labrador artists. Incorporated in April 2001, we have become a female-focused company in all other creative aspects of our productions. White Rooster makes every effort to support excellence in our NL artists in all aspects of theatre production by prioritizing them for design and other work opportunities. We are steadily building a reputation of presenting the work of top, award-winning talent while nurturing emerging female artists in an approach that has proven respectful of all in the process. Our critically acclaimed original productions have varied from drama to biography to innovative adaptation. Sherry White and Ruth Lawrence founded White Rooster to produce their first collaboration over twenty years ago. While the intention was to produce their own scripts, within two years the company had moved to producing the work of other women in Canada. Known for deftly exploring difficult subject matter, the company has done so through a contemporary selection of plays and writers who bravely investigate intriguing aspects of our humanity. White Rooster’s productions ask the questions: Why do we behave as we do? What is the rationale that results from these choices? The social issues of the day have always drawn our interest. Whether we are exploring our present by delving into our past or investigating our potential by challenging our status quo, the creators we support are asking tough questions and compelling our audiences to dig for the answers. The search for knowledge keeps us interested in the artistic challenges, of course, but ultimately it is the action that results from that enlightenment that keeps our fires going. White Rooster aims to not only reflect on the human experience but to also instigate social change through the power of theatre.

  • Kathleen Sitter, Principal Investigator, University of Calgary

  • Natalie Beausoleil, Co-Investigator, Memorial University

  • Erin McGowan, Co-Investigator, Memorial University

  • Erin Cameron, Co-Investigator, Lakehead University
  • Alex Mathieson, Co-Investigator, Memorial University

  • Gail Wideman, Co-Investigator, Memorial University

  • Amy Burke, Project Coordinator, University of Waterloo

  • Rosemary Lester, Patient Advisor

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