Theatremaker Toby Peach tells us about his new project in collaboration with Carmen, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour aged 7.
hree years ago, a nine-year-old girl walked up to me in a drama session and said: “Toby, Toby, you’ve had cancer!” That little girl was Carmen. She told me she’d had a brain tumour and had read about my story in this very magazine while in hospital.
Telling stories about cancer is incredibly important for those who go through it, but also for those around them - and the power of a story can help find a language, find a way to talk to others and share what might be happening. I now run Beyond Arts, which amplifies the voices of young people who have experienced cancer through arts and storytelling projects.
Children’s stories of cancer often get retold by adults – by healthcare professionals or parents/guardians – so we’ve been working together to find the best way to share Carmen’s own story, in her own words, with her own toys. Carmen inspired me when we met through the way she told her story, her insight into the unthinkable and the wise lessons she learnt (and now shares). We’ve slowly explored her experience, taking care to look after everyone involved and I’m so honoured that she chose to share her story with me, and we’ve now found the perfect way to share it with you.
After three years of play, Carmen and I have just released the imaginative and joyful interactive digital story, ‘The Origin Of Carmen Power’. Originally due to be a live theatre show, COVID restrictions meant we had to pivot the show into a digital space. However, now completed, we can see this was the perfect way to reach young patients and their families who might be going through similar experiences.
It’s a digital adventure filled with monsters, magic and powers and unicorns, made especially for 7–13-year-olds and explores Carmen’s experience of discovering a brain tumour, aged 7, and the superhero who came out of it. On the website, you’ll meet Carmen Power who shares her real-life experience and uses play and imagination to express the challenges she’s faced and overcome. All with the help of her trusty sidekick, Tremendous Toby.
‘The Origin Of Carmen Power’ enables children to explore at their own pace, for as long as they wish. As this story contains emotive subject matter, you may wish to explore this story together with your child. While this is about one child’s story, it also has a universal message about finding our inner strength and resilience, and asks what we can learn from life’s most unexpected moments
