Cotton candy made of steel

Cotton Candy Made of Steel was a documentary theater performance in which we met 11 young people between the ages of 10 and 19. Most of them had never been on stage before, they had different interests, and most were strangers to one another. But they had one thing in common: All 11 were relatives of someone with cancer. They had experienced firsthand what is considered by everyone to be the worst nightmare. Some of them lived with a sick parent at home, while the rest of the group had experienced the loss of a mother or father. 

In this performance, the audience heard their stories, their experiences, and how they cope with their pain. The audience heard about the sad parts, but also met a group of positive young people for whom hope and joy were a big part of everyday life. Over the course of six months, the group held regular meetings at Kilden with instructors and staff from the Cancer Society and the hospital. They went through tough and important sessions sharing painful memories. They also spent many hours laughing over happy memories. They shared experiences, comforted one another, laughed, and danced. 

The performance was the result of a collaboration between Kilden , the Norwegian Cancer Society’s Southwest Chapter, and Sørlandet Hospital, Center for Cancer Treatment.