MENUMy Other Voice inspired by U-M student’s cancer experience
Playwright brings hope to cancer patients through theatre
Just before graduating from the University of Michigan several years ago, Alex Kip was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, threatening to end his career as an actor and playwright. In the course of treatment, Mr. Kip lost his singing voice. After his treatment was completed, Mr. Kip wrote, My Other Voice. The play was inspired by his experiences with lymphoma.
You have experienced two different journeys at the same time -- the one with cancer, and the other one with voice loss. How have these journeys contributed to your creative focus today?
The loss of my voice allowed me to experience a new creative force that I didn’t really know was there. For so long I only identified as a singer. That was who I was, but you quickly realize that who you are is not as simple as that. I learned that we are actually endlessly creative if we want to be. Dealing with cancer taught me to live in the now, and to not be so preoccupied with “knowing everything.” When you’re going through something like that, at some point you have to relinquish control and just let it be. The cancer was there, I was dealing with it, and so why add an extra burden on my body by worrying about it. It’s a strange feeling being in the dark, but not if you know that you’ll reach the light in due time. Now that my voice is back, in ways I’m grateful to have lost it because now I appreciate it for what it is while no longer defining myself by it.
Let's talk about young people and cancer -- do you find that cancer patients in your age group have unique needs? What are they, and how are they (or aren't they) addressed in the medical and psycho-social setting?
I think young adults with cancer are really suffering and there is a movement beginning to help ease that pain. One of the major reasons I wrote My Other Voice was to be a voice for that cause. I've volunteered a lot with a big organization called Stupid Cancer that really opened up my eyes to young adults with cancer. First off, our survival rates have not improved compared to other groups. Surprisingly, it's the number one disease killer in young adults and we're also the most underserved patient population. Why? Well, for a lot of reasons, I think. There's the question of insurance … most young adults don't have it, they're either in school, don't have access, or don't have the kind of job that offers benefits. Two, we're young and headstrong, "Nothing's wrong with me! I'm not going to the Doctor!" Three, Doctors sometimes think the same thing, "Ah don't worry, you're young, there's nothing to be worried about." Four, how do we care for young adults who are in that awkward phase between adolescence and adulthood? Do we give them the kind of treatments that most 40 years old endure or the kind that 10 years old endure. Lastly, it can be completely debilitating to the start of a young adult's life right before they're supposed to be achieving and succeeding. Not always, but adults with an established career can often come back to that, and kids don't have to worry about such things. Needless to say, it is definitely a problem that is starting to gain attention. If you want to read more about specific issues check out my friend Woody Roseland's blog on the Huffington Post about this exact topic.
How does My Other Voice express your own experience with cancer?
My Other Voice expresses my experience in a hopeful, truthful, and humorous way. When I was sitting in the hospital I realized that I could use my gifts to make a different in the fight against "cancer." Clearly I'm not going to become a Doctor overnight, but this is something that I could contribute. Yes, it is mostly inspired by my story, but also a work of fiction. I wanted to not only give my experience, but also the experiences of many who have battled cancer -- as patients, as clinicians, as family members and friends. Some characters in the play are based on real people. Other characters, drawn from imagination, tell stories that are equally true. My goal in making it mostly autobiographical was to encourage people that there is hope and also that this really happens to people. Seeing something like that puts the work in a different context, suddenly it becomes very real.
Can you describe your experience, losing your singing voice, of communicating your needs to doctors and other health professionals?
The hardest part was communicating to certain doctors how detrimental losing my singing voice was. Their concern was only about getting me better, my concern was, "how do I sing again?" It can be hard to empathize with someone who's distraught over losing their singing voice when they're on the verge of possibly dying. Most people don't understand why that would be of such concern. At the same time, singing is what made me alive, so I sort of experienced a death of its own. Eventually I did realize that there are way more important things in the world but for a while it was frustrating trying to communicate the importance of my voice.
What impact do you think your experiences will have on your creative and artistic projects of the future?
Well this is certainly not the end for My Other Voice, more like the warm-up. We'll be bringing it back to New York City and developing it for an Off-Broadway run and then hopefully turning it into a series. And remember that young adult movement that’s starting to perk up? I also just finished co-writing and producing a short film in Ann Arbor called, "Minor Chance." The storyline features Andy, an aspiring animator, who must put his plans to move away from Michigan on hold when he's asked to care of his ailing grandfather "Bobboo," a small-town hero who once had a chance to play major league baseball. Andy grows throughout the film and re-learns the importance of family.