Group 4 

Science Alive 
Scene 1:​ Karen 
Scene 2: ​Ambrose 
Scene 3: ​Patrick  
Scene 4: ​Louisa 
Scene 5: ​Clancy 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Scene 1  
Karen 
 
Key: K= Karen, A= Ambrose, L=Louisa, C=Clancy, P=Patrick 
 
Scene description 
 
Section  Stage Positions  Action and Dialogue 

1  K, L, A, and P stand in two rows on a 

block. Clancy crouches in front of the 
block, in the position of a running 
start.  
The four people on the block perform a 
movement sequence:  
Everyone (except C): Fear.  
The back row shields the eyes of people 
in the front row. 
Everyone (except C): Pain. 
The people in the front row are pushed 
forward by the people in the back row. 
Everyone (except C): Struggle. 
The people in the front row are pulled 
back by the people in the back row.  
Repeat the whole sequence 3 times. 
  Everyone except Clancy look at each 
other.  
Everyone (except C): I can’t do this 
anymore! 
Louisa and Karen latch onto Clancy’s 
hands, pulling him back. 
Clancy throws their hands down. 
Clancy: I have to do this.  
Louisa and Karen fall downwards. 
Clancy takes a step forward, about to 
run. 
 2  Karen moves to the right of Clancy. 
  Karen: Charles is starting to feel a pain 
in his chest.  
Clancy takes another step. 
Karen: He can no longer perform the 
way he used to.  
Clancy takes another step. 
Karen: He is dedicated, but something 
is slowing him down. 
 
 

3  Louisa steps off the blocks. Both Karen 

and Louisa start walking in circles 
around Clancy.  
K and L: Fear, pain, struggle.  
In the background, Ambrose and 
Patrick do an over-over under-under 
sequence, while saying the same 
words.  
This process is repeated 3 times. 
On the third time, Louisa and Karen 
hold onto Clancy’s ankles, dragging 
him down. 
P and A: I can’t do this anymore! 
Everyone freezes.  
 
 
Transition to next scene: Ambrose and 
Patrick move the block backwards, 
  while Clancy moves in a chair. Louisa 
and Karen slowly crawl into their 
starting positions. 
 
 
 
 
 
Science Behind Scene: 
In this scene, the main aim is to exhibit the early signs of lung cancer the patient is experiencing. The 
main character is showing signs of the first stages of adenocarcinoma, a non small cell type lung cancer 
found more commonly in patients who are younger in age and do not smoke. Instead, this type of lung 
cancer may be caused by mutagens such as exposure to radons or second hand smoke; or a mutation in the 
patient’s genetics (“Diagnosing Lung Adenocarcinoma”). Our character represents the population of 
people who are unfortunately affected by lung cancer even if they do not smoke and have a relatively 
healthy lifestyle. Though lung cancer is often associated with people who smoke, the 6th leading cause of 
cancer deaths in the US is caused by lung cancer in nonsmokers, and out of all lung cancer patients, up to 
15% are non smokers(“Lung Cancer in Nonsmokers”).With this type of cancer, the tumor in most cases 
forms away from the major airways of the lungs, and starts in the outer lung tissues. Alveolar type II cells 
are affected, and this slowly starts to compromise the body’s ability to take in oxygen and supply it 
through the bloodstream to muscles. Since the alveoli are responsible for oxygen intake and distribution 
into the bloodstream, the patient’s muscles and organs will start to receive less oxygen. Obvious 
symptoms attributed to lung cancer such as a chronic cough may not be present, but small signs such as 
the decreased stamina while exercising may be apparent, due to the slow deprivation of oxygen to the 
muscles(“Diagnosing Lung Adenocarcinoma”).  
 
Because of the insignificant symptoms, and the fact that people who are affected are usually nonsmokers, 
patients of adenocarcinoma do not notice the possibility of cancer that quickly, and are diagnosed late. 
The symptoms of this type of cancer is shown in the scene, where Charles, an aspiring olympic athlete, 
can no longer perform as well as he did before because of his shortness of breath and decreased fitness 
level. Therefore, he feels a pain in his chest due to the fact that his lungs have to work harder to get 
enough oxygen. The lungs’ struggle for oxygen is also shown in the scene where Patrick and Ambrose 
perform the over-over under-under sequence, which consists of Patrick making a punching movement, 
then ambrose pushing back, and their arms tangled together, showing the struggle and pain the lungs go 
through when trying to obtain enough oxygen. Another result of oxygen deprivation is muscle cramps and 
lactic acid buildup during vigorous exercise, and this is shown in the scene where Charles’s legs are 
dragged under the weight of two people pulling him backwards. He is no longer able to move his legs and 
is restrained from performing to his full potential.  
 
The sequence behind the “Fear, Pain, Struggle” also shows a different aspect behind cancer. When the 
front row peoples’ eyes are shielded, it shows how developed cancer cells with mutated genes can hide 
and disguise themselves from the regulators of cell division and the immune system of the body, thus 
developing into a larger tumour (“Cancer and the Immune System”). The push and pull shows how bodily 
functions are easily manipulated by the presence of cancer, and how much disturbance in can cause. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Works Cited

“Cancer and the Immune System.” ​Science News​,

www.sciencenews.org/article/cancer-cells-cast-sweet-spell-immune-system.

“Diagnosing Lung Adenocarcinoma.” ​Verywell​,

www.verywell.com/lung-adenocarcinoma-symptoms-treatment-and-prognosis-2249363.

Accessed 15 Dec. 2017.

“Lung Cancer in Nonsmokers.” ​Verywell​,

www.verywell.com/lung-cancer-in-non-smokers-2249398.

 
Reflection (Drama and Science) 
At first, we did not know exactly how to connect two very different subjects, drama and science, together, 
and create a cohesive performance. However, after continuous experimentation, trial and error, and 
changing our scenes, we managed to create a final performance that incorporated scientific facts and also 
drama techniques. At first, when we were designing our scenes, many of them included aspects of realism 
rather than physical theatre, which was not very effective because when we tried to incorporate scientific 
facts into the monologues the scenes became very boring to watch. For example, we designed a 
consultation scene that mirrored what a doctor’s visit would look like in real life, with the patient sitting 
on a chair and the doctor stating the science behind his cancer. This scene did not involve any movement 
or significant expression, which limited to potential of its impact and the clarity of the scene. Our 
performance became far more impactful once we incorporated aspects of physical theatre and linked them 
with scientific knowledge. One of the best examples of this is the second scene, depicting how cancer 
cells bypass all the checkpoints during mitosis. Here, we used over-over under-under to depict how the 
cancer cells manages to defeat all the barriers imposed on it. We also used harsh body angles and facial 
expressions to exemplify the rigidity of the scene. In between, we wrote monologues explaining the 
scientific information, and the physical aspects made the science much more interesting and easy to 
picture. Another good example is how we greatly improved the doctor consultation scene from something 
very monotonal into a vivid image of how cancer cells spread. As the doctor was explaining the 
mechanism of how cancer metastasizes, we created a pulsing cancer cell in the center of the stage and 
slowly peeled away from it, illustrating how cancer metastasizes through the bloodstream. In the end, we 
understood how physical theatre and science both have aspects that they can lend to each other to make a 
performance both truthful and intriguing at the same time. If we had more time, I believe we would have 
improved our performance by adding more movements to the over-over under-under/chair duet scenes, 
which would have made them even more interesting. Also, we could have added another scene explaining 
how cancer develops in the lungs specifically (we could illustrate the destruction of alveoli), giving our 
performance more meaning.  
 
Reflection (Limitations and Benefits) 
The main benefit of pairing science with drama is that by incorporating science into our performance, we 
managed to add content and framework to our performance. We could build our scenes around the 
process of the cancer slowly spreading, and structure our performance in terms of the stages of cancer. 
Without having science, our performance would have been less organized and comprehensive, especially 
because our topic is cancer and a huge part of it is the science behind it. Combining science and drama 
also makes it much easier to understand and visualise the aspects of science, since we are acting out the 
processes. If we were to just learn about the science behind it without incorporating it into anything, we 
would probably not be able to understand it and remember it as well as if we were to combine science and 
drama. Without the science, the performance would be less content based, and without drama, the content 
would be very bland and incomprehensible. So by combining these two elements, we manage to make a 
completely unique and impacting performance. The only limitations of this, however, is that sometimes it 
is very difficult to express something scientific with physical movements and facial expressions alone. 
We may be able to express simple processes such as how cancer cells spread, but perhaps more 
complicated scientific things may not be able to be expressed comprehensively. Therefore, it is important 
to find a balance between how much science is explained in actions and how much of it is explained in 
words. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Scene 2 
Ambrose 
 
 
Patrick = P, Karen = K, Ambrose = A, Louisa = L, Clancy = C  
 
 
 
  
 
*Ambrose, the mutated cell, begins to show signs of mutation and abnormalities 

 
 
Louisa crawls towards Ambrose 
Ambrose “defeats” her in an over-over under-under sequence 
 
Cancer cell ignores G1 (louisa) 
Clancy Monologue: The G1 checkpoint ensures that everything is ready for DNA synthesis and will order 
cells that are not to enter the resting stage. The mutated cells bypass this order and enter the replication 
stage. 
 
*Clancy winces 
 
 
The mutated cell continues to grow stronger and stronger by the minute. 
Karen crawls towards Ambrose 
Ambrose “defeats” her in a series over-over under-under sequences. 
 
Cancer cell ignores G2 (karen) 
Clancy Monolgue: The G2 checkpoint assesses the success of DNA replication and determines if it should 
trigger Mitosis. The cancerous cells ignore the barrier and proceed with mitosis. 
 
*Clancy shouts in pain 
 
 
The cancer cell is embracing the power that he has developed 
Patrick crawls towards Ambrose 
Ambrose “defeats” him in a series over-over under-under sequences. 
 
Cancer cell ignores M (Patrick) 
Clancy Monolgue: The M checkpoint evaluates the accuracy Mitosis and triggers the exit from mitosis 
and cytokinesis. The cancer disregards the order preventing it’s exit and proceeds to form a tumor.  
 
*Clancy in extreme pain 
 
 
*All barriers/checkpoints remind the fully grown cancer cell to stop. 
Everyone crawls towards Ambrose in a final attempt to stop him 
Ambrose: No! 
*All 3 recoil and stay down 
 
*Ambrose Pushes Clancy away and stands on his chair, having embarked on the process of conquering 
him 
End with freeze frame. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Science behind the scene: 
Criterion A:  
A: 8 
 

(Figure 1) ​("The cell cycle and cancer.")

All cells in the body only live as long as the organism lives. The life of a cell takes places in a
cyclical pattern, with each cell produced being a part of its parent cell. Subsequently, a daughter cell then
divides into two new cells. ​("Control of the Cell Cycle.")

In this scene, I would like to emphasis on just how important the cell cycle is. As cancer is a
deadly disease of uncontrolled cell division, it strongly correlates with the activity of the cell cycle
regulators, which in other words, are the G1, G2 and M checkpoints as shown in figure 1.

The G1 checkpoint, also known as the restriction point, ensures that all conditions of the cell are
appropriate for cell division. A cell can only pass the checkpoint if it is appropriate size, has energy
reserves and has undamaged, healthy DNA. ​("Control of the Cell Cycle.") A cell can temporarily
postpone the cycle and remedy the problematic conditions or enter the G0, also known as inactive/resting
phase and await further signals from the body. Finally, cells that meet the requirements for the G1
checkpoint will begin DNA replication signaled by cyclins and cyclin dependent kinases, molecules that
regulate and control the cell cycle.

The G2 checkpoint ensures that all cells are appropriate to enter the Mitosis stage. Again, this
checkpoint assesses the size and energy reserves of the cell. Not only this, the G2 checkpoint also verifies
if the chromosomes in the cell have been successful replicated without mistakes or damages ​("Control of
the Cell Cycle.")​. An abnormal cell is ordered to complete DNA replication or repair the damaged DNA,
if this is successful, the cyclins and cyclin dependent kinases again signal the cells for the beginning of
Mitosis.

Lastly, the cell enter the M stage, also known as the spindle checkpoint. This stage occurs
towards the end of the metaphase stage of Mitosis, confirming if the sister chromatids are correctly
attached to the spindle microtubules ​("Control of the Cell Cycle.")​. A cell will be prevented from
proceeding until all the sister chromatids are attached to the spindle fibers. Finally, the cell enters
cytokinesis where the cytoplasm of the cell is split into two, making two new cells. ​(“Phases of the cell
cycle”)

Cancer cells have an estimated 60 mutations and do not respond to many of the signals and orders
that control both cellular growth and death. These mutated cells often acquire the ability to disable these
genetically-defined checkpoints and progress straight into the S and Mitosis stage even with chromosomal
DNA damage. Cancerous cells originate within tissues and, as they grow and divide, they diverge ever
further from normalcy ​(“Cell Division and Cancer”)​. Furthermore, these cells become increasingly
resistant to the signals that ensure all tissue are normal, causing the cells to divide signficantly faster than
their projenitors and less dependent on signals from other healthy cells. Moreover, cancer cells are able to
evade programmed cell death regardless of their multiple abnormalities causing them to be prime targets
for apoptosis ​(“Cell Division and Cancer”).​ Ultimately, cancerous cells break through their tissue
boundaries and metastasize, spreading to other parts of the body. 
 
Works Cited

"The cell cycle and cancer." ​Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America PNAS, Proceedings of

the National Academy of Sciences​, www.pnas.org/content/94/7/2776.full.

"Cell Division and Cancer." ​Scitable​, www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/cell-division-and-cancer-14046590.

"Control of the Cell Cycle." ​Lumen​, courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-biology/chapter/control-of-the-cell-cycle/.

"Phases of the cell cycle." ​Khan Academy,​

www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/cellular-molecular-biology/mitosis/a/cell-cycle-phases.

Reflection -​ Limitations and Benefits - Making Connections and Combining Disciplinary Understanding 
IDU:  
B: 7 
C: 8 
D: 8 
I was quite confused as to how we were going to merge the information from Science into a 
Drama performance. Also, I was quite frustrated when we were told that our performance cannot rely on 
realism, something I believe our group would excel at. Instead, it should mostly include the techniques we 
learnt on the first lesson and nothing else. Frankly, the beginning felt quite weird as we were just freeze 
framing the current scene and have someone walk up to explain the science behind it. However, I 
eventually understood the effectiveness of this because it would not only enhance the audience’s 
understanding of the situation, it would also allow us to have the ability to fully memorise the science 
behind each scene, broadening our understanding of both Cancer and Alzheimer’s. 
 
During this unit, we learnt a diverse amount of drama techniques and some knowledge on living 
things, Cancer and Alzheimer’s. We learnt different “flying” techniques, monologue techniques, speaking 
techniques, and most importantly, how to use eye contact and facial expression to create the atmosphere. I 
explored and developed this particular technique, making eye contact with the audience when I take over 
Clancy as the mutated cancer cell to convey an abnormally maniacal scene where the cancer is able to 
bypass the cell cycle, I found it extremely useful and powerful. 
 
I feel like in this particular scene, we allow the audience to understand how severe Cancer is. First 
we allow them to visualize the actual cell cycle with the G1, G2 and M stages. Then we allow them to see 
the cancer cell mutating in action and bypassing all the stages, ultimately taking over the body as the 
cancer metastasizes. This is extremely beneficial and effective as we use a variety of techniques: Freeze 
frame, Up and Under, Monologue to apply our scientific knowledge to the scene, avoiding realism and 
making the performance even more powerful. 
 
However, I believe the main limitation of this is it greatly restricts the use of realism in our 
performance. As it takes more techniques and a very well planned performance to incorporate emotion, 
science and drama together. It is shown that some groups went too over the top with the scientific 
knowledge and spent a significant amount of time in their performance just explaining the molecular 
changes in Alzheimer’s or Cancer, causing their performance to lack power and have too much science. 
Furthermore, most, if not all the groups (including us) utilised all our monologues to explain the science 
behind our scene, causing them to lack creativity or losing out on the opportunity to clarify the scene 
through one’s own thoughts or perspectives. Not only did this limit the ways we could use to express the 
character’s feelings, it also restricted students from using a variety of different ways to design a 
monologue, lastly, it also prevented students from providing a rich back-story to the performance, things 
realism could further enhance or clarify.  
 
All in all, there are some benefits and limitations towards combining Drama with Science. 
However, I do believe that this is a positive experience for both the Teachers, Students and audience to 
further enhance their scientific knowledge and explore different ways to express or present a story 
through actions in Drama.   

 
Scene 3  
Patrick 
 
Monologue: 
According to the image you have Metastatic lung cancer, that you have a tumor in your lung but the the 
cancer cells have spread through the bloodstream into the brain. I insist we start you on Chemotherapy 
immediately. 
 
Criterion A:  
A = 7 
Metastasis is a process where cancer cells that makes up a tumor tears off, some of the cells that have 
come off find their way into nearby blood vessel, by using the blood vessel the cancer then ends up in a 
different part of the body ("Metastatic Cancer"). However, most of the cancer cells die before they can 
reach another organ, but there are sometimes a few cancer cells that survive, these cells will then latch 
onto the vessel wall (a tough wall of muscle cells and tissues) (Molecular Biology). The cancer 
breakthrough the vessel wall to arrive at another organ in the body where it will start to grow (Metastasis: 
How Cancer 43). The reason why parts of the tumor will break off in the first place is because the tumor 
has reached a size where it does not fit in the place where it is going, thus parts of it will tear off. When 
someone is diagnostic this type of cancer is called Metastatic cancer, Metastatic cancer is also referred to 
as stage four cancer ("Metastatic Cancer"). When the cancer has spread to another organ and starts a 
tumor starts to form, it is called a Metastatic tumor, whilst the tumor where the cancer originated is called 
the primary tumor (Metastasis: How Cancer 1:15). The reason why Metastatic cancer is so dangerous is 
because it spreads to other organs in the body and infects them, some of these organs that it infects are 
crucial to life for instance: the brain, the lungs, the liver and so on are all possible targets (Metastasis: 
How Cancer 15). There are multiple ways to treat Metastatic cancer, some of which are Chemotherapy or 
Hormone therapy. Chemotherapy purpose is to slow the division of the cancer cell ("Chemotherapy"). 
Hormone therapy on the other hand is used to stop the growth of a tumor, it does this by withstricting 
hormones from the body, thus the tumor will not be able to grow ("Hormone Therapy"). 
 
 
Work Cited: 
"Chemotherapy." National Treatment Centers of America, www.cancercenter.com/ 
treatments/chemotherapy/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2017.  
 
"Hormone Therapy." Cancer Treatment Centers of America, www.cancercenter.com/  
treatments/hormone-therapy/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2017.  
 
"Metastatic Cancer." National Cancer Institute, www.cancer.gov/types/  
metastatic-cancer. Accessed 9 Dec. 2017.  
 
"Metastasis." Cancer Treatment Centers of America, www.cancercenter.com/terms/  
metastasis/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2017.  
 
Metastasis: How Cancer Spreads. 2017. National Cancer Institute, www.youtube.com/  
watch?time_continue=46&v=fQwar_-QdiQ. Accessed 9 Dec. 2017.  
 
Molecular Biology of the Cell. 4th Edition. 4th ed., NCBI. 
 
Drama: 
 
Reflection on explaining the skills used in making connections and combining disciplinary 
understanding of Drama and Science. 
 
At first we all thought that drama and science were two completely different subjects and to combine 
them was just absurd, however over time we realized that with certain skills it was not difficult to bring 
this two massive subjects together. We realized that using a few drama techniques we could fit scientific 
facts in to our play. For example we would have actors suddenly freeze in motion and one actor would 
come out and recite facts about cancer. We thought that this idea was the best of both worlds, on one hand 
we we were using a non naturalistic technique (a freeze frame) and combining it with good old fashioned 
scientific fact. However then we realized that even though this was an effective way to convey the 
scientific information it was a bit boring for the audience, at some point this is still a play and its purpose 
is to entertain an audience. To combat this problem we found a method where we could actually still 
convey as much scientific fact whilst still entertaining the audience, the solution was to get the actors to 
become the cells in the body and physically what was actually going inside the human being on whilst the 
narrator would then describe what was happening. For example in an scene in our play I the doctor who 
has just looked at the scans of a patient's lungs and found that not only does the patient have cancer but 
that the cancer is spreading. After discovering this I start to talk about what is happening inside the patient 
and how parts of the tumor in his lung have broken away and drifted through his blood stream to other 
organs. To represent this, the rest of my group forms a human bulge, then each person starts to peel of the 
bulge to drift off and stick to a wall. In this case the people who are drifting off are the cancer cells 
spreading and what they stick to represents another organ. Another thing we did was we would have a 
cancer cell physically destroy other organs, we did this by using a technique called the over over under 
under technique where two actors would join hands, where one was the cancer cell the other an organ and 
eventually how the cancer cell would come on top. 
 
Reflection on evaluating the limitations and benefits of connecting Drama and Science in creating 
the performance.  
 
As I stated before we were first confused with the pairing of science and drama, however over time we 
understood why science and drama do go well together. One reason that science and drama can go 
together is for memorization. In science that are a lot of different facts that just must be memorized, and 
there are a lot of techniques used to memorizes things, some of which involve movements. Thus by acting 
out a scientific fact it can actually help us remember it instead of just forgetting it after we are done and 
have our grades, I found that this actually worked and that the facts we conveyed through our plays will 
stuck with me. Another benefit of the marriage between science and drama is that it is unconventional and 
fun, how I am used to learning to science is by sitting down and listening to a science teacher recite fact 
after fact after fact, and then we would be tested on those facts. However in this case we must display 
these facts through movements and speech instead of through answering a question written on a sheet of 
paper. However like all this the marriage between these two subjects is not perfect, a limitation I see is 
that we have to make time for the planning and the practicing for the performance piece, therefore we 
have less time to delve deeper into the science aspect, thus in the end we do not know as much as maybe 
students else where but what we do have will stick with us. In my opinion a worthy trade off. 
 
Movements: 
Patrick = P, Karen = K, Ambrose = A, Louisa = L, Clancy = C  
 
Movement  Image  Description 
Move 1  We all walk on stage and take a 
seat, the seats are arranged in a 
U shape. 

Move 2  I then proceed to walk to centre 

stage and gaze up at the light, 
mimicking a doctor examining 
some scans done of the patient. I 
then shake my head and deliver 
my monologue. “According to 
the image you have Metastatic 
lung cancer, that you have a 
tumor in your lung but the the 
  cancer cells have spread through 
the bloodstream into the brain. I 
insist we start you on 
Chemotherapy immediately.” 

Move 3  I then drift over to Clancy and 

try to console him, however he 
refuses and screams : “No, this 
can’t be happening!” After this 
outburst he stands up from the 
chair. From this he moves 
forward a few steps then 
transitioning into a still image. 

Move 4  When Clancy is in his still 

image, Louisa, Ambrose, Karen 
and I rush towards him. We then 
press our palms on his back. We 
use this pose as this scenes still 
image. 

 
 Move 5  We then freeze for another 5 
seconds then each of us take a 
chair and move behind the block 
and get prepared for the next 
scene. 

 
 
 
Scene 4 
Louisa 
Predicted Level:  
Science: 8  
IDU:  
B: 8 
C: 7 
D: 8 
 
Monologue: 
The patient will now begin chemotherapy. This will work to shrink the tumour, by stopping the cells from 
multiplying. There will be side effects.  
 
Science Behind: 
My scene will include the character with lung cancer at stage 3 of lung cancer. He is currently about to go 
into treatment for lung cancer. Within the third stage of lung cancer, the tumour is around 3 cm wide and 
symptoms are start to appear more regularly ​("Stage III Non-Small"). Treatment at this point includes 
immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy is used to prevent the spread of the cancer 
("Chemotherapy"). Chemotherapy works to kill the mutated cells, to help shrink the tumour. It kills of 
cells while they’re multiplying, since cancer cells multiply extremely quickly it works very effectively 
towards cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be done in various ways, for example through ​Intravenously, a 
pill or capsule, a port, or a catheter ​("How Is Chemotherapy")​. ​Bone marrow, skin, hair and the lining of 
your digestive system have diving cells, meaning they don’t repair or replace themselves similar to 
normal cells. Since chemotherapy works to kill dividing cells these factors are affected. An example of a 
large difference is the patience’s hair may start to fall out. ("General cancer"). Other side effects include 
fatigue, infection, bruising, bleeding, constipation and mood changes. Side effects differ from person to 
person. One person may experience different side effects to another. However, if the patient experiences 
extreme fevers, allergic reactions, unusual pain or blood in your urine, it is recommended to contact a 
doctor ​ ("Chemotherapy Side")​. These are all side effects while going through chemotherapy, but there are 
also long-lasting side effects. This includes, damage to lung tissue, kidney problems, and even the risk of 
a second cancer. This is why it is vital to make sure your heart, liver and kidney are are healthy before 
starting chemotherapy ​("Chemotherapy")​.  
 
 
Reflection -​ Limitations and Benefits - Making Connections and Combining Disciplinary Understanding 
 
I found that implementing the Science aspect in the Drama was at first a bit strange, however I 
eventually got used to it. My group and I decided that the best way to explain the Science was to stand up 
and speak to the audience about the specific Scientific aspects, as it is hard to naturally include that 
information in dialogue.  
I think the best example of our group mixing the two was in Scene 2, where we represent the 
cycle of cancer. I think that we show the emotion of the pain and struggle the body goes through to try 
and save itself, while also explaining the Science. We bring the cells and stages to life. I think it is 
impactful and educating. Furthermore we use the Under Over physical theatre technique. I think that this 
is quite beneficial, since the audience gets educated on cancer, but also gets to watch an interesting 
performance rather than a lecture. We do a little bit of this technique in the third scene as well, where we 
again represent the cells.  
There are a few limitation as well. Sometimes the Science can feel a bit sudden, as it can be a 
very deep and emotional scene, and then all of the sudden someone comes out to tell you facts. This can 
lead to losing the impact on the audience, as it is a sudden change in mood. Additionally, it is hard to 
explain cancer in a few words without boring the audience. Memorising the Science behind was a bit 
challenging, since it uses quite complicated language. However, through a lot of work and review, it can 
be done. I think that our group has done a fairly good job of including the Science fluently. The main 
factors to successfully integrating it was being very clear with your words. Furthermore, by having a less 
realistic piece and focusing more on the physical theatre makes it easier to explain the Science into it. 
This is because, as mentioned before, it is very rare that in a real life situation one will start talking about 
the details of cancer. Additionally, we could not fully educate the audience on all the details of cancer, 
since we didn’t want to bore them with a lecture in between a drama performance.  
 
Throughout the creation of the entire performance, the sharpness of your movements and 
projection of your voice are two very important factors to have a meaningful performance for this unit. I 
found that if the character projects their lines very loudly to act as if they’re in pain, helps to really hit the 
audience in the chest and leave a lasting impression on them. Furthermore, you must be strong and 
confident in your over, under movements. Unless you are purposely acting weak, if you do not put energy 
into your movements it makes it seem useless, and the audience may not understand what you are doing. 
Furthermore, with the Science and Drama together, you do not have to represent people the entire time. In 
fact, our group found it more effective to represent parts of the body and certain aspects of going through 
cancer. For example, in Scene 3 where we represent the tumour as Patrick explains it. This was the 
audience can get a visual representation of the process, which may help, especially for visual learners, for 
them to further understand the process. Representing a cell or a tumour is not as simple as rolling into a 
ball, you must show the struggle, growth and pain it creates and goes through. This is specifically seen in 
Scene 2, although we are just cells in the cell cycle, we all show the pain and struggle that the body goes 
through to fight it through our motions and facial expressions.  
 
 
 
My Scene: 
 
Moves 
 
 
Move  Picture  Dialogue  

Move 1   Louisa: We are 

now going to 
began the 
chemotherapy. 
This will work to 
shrink the tumour, 
by stopping the 
cells from 
multiplying. 
However, because 
the chemotherapy 
kills cells, there 
 
will be side 
effects. Your hair 
may start to fall 
out, you may 
experience fatigue 
and constipation. 
If there is any 
strange feelings 
call for the nurse. 
Rest for now, I 
will catch up with 
you later. 
 
Move 2   N/A 

Move 3   N/A 

Move 4  Clancy: I can run! 

 
 Move 5  N/A 

Move 6  Clancy: ​Doc! I 

can run! 
Louisa:​ No! You 
can’t, it was just a 
dream.  
 
 

 
 
Explanation of My Scene 
 
In the creation of my scene we first started out with the idea of the main character being in the 
hospital getting treatment. We then decided we could use the scientific part when explaining how the 
treatment works. Following, we wanted to include the skill of using lifts, so we thought of ideas of how 
we could include lifts. We decided to do a dream scene. Most of our scenes so far had been quite sad, so 
we wanted to give a glimpse of hope through this seen. The main character enters a dream, where he can 
run like he used to, even fly. This is where we have the lift. Furthermore, he is able to run on the walls, 
this brings in another skill. This is the happiest scene, the main character regains hope for his future. 
However, ultimately when he wakes up he is let down and feels trapped by his condition. We have now 
made improvements to it by adding a heartbeat to the patient as he is told that he is going to begin 
chemotherapy. As his heartbeat increasingly gets faster, it shows that he is feeling quite anxious and 
scared. In the end, he wakes up happy, excited and hoping to run again, before being let down by realising 
it was just a dream.  
 
 
 
Citation:  
 
Works Cited

“Chemotherapy.” ​Cancer Treatment Centres of America​,

www.cancercenter.com/treatments/chemotherapy/. Accessed 7 Dec. 2017.

“Chemotherapy.” ​Mayo Clinic​, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 27 Apr. 2017,

www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/chemotherapy/about/pac-20385033. Accessed 15 Dec.

2017.

“Chemotherapy Side Effects.” ​American Cancer Society​,

www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/treatment-types/chemotherapy/chemothera

py-side-effects.html. Accessed 15 Dec. 2017.

“General cancer information.” ​How chemotherapy works | Cancer in general | Cancer Research UK​, 15

Nov. 2017,

www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-in-general/treatment/chemotherapy/how-chemot

herapy-works. Accessed 7 Dec. 2017.

“How Is Chemotherapy Given When Treating Breast Cancer?” ​Breastcancer.org​,

www.breastcancer.org/treatment/chemotherapy/process/how. Accessed 15 Dec. 2017.

“Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.” ​Cancer Treatment Centres of America​,

www.cancercenter.com/lung-cancer/stages/tab/non-small-cell-lung-cancer-stage-III/. Accessed 7

Dec. 2017.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Scene 5 
Clancy 
 
Monologue: 
1st: The cancer has spread beyond control. The tumour itself is larger than anything the doctors have ever 
seen. The fatigue he is experiencing is too much he can barely hold on. He has Lung cancer with brain 
metases. The last stages of his life are here. The pain is too much. Death is knocking on his door.  
 
2nd: His name was Charles, he had a dream to be an olympic gold medalist. He could out run all his 
competitors yet the only thing he could not outrun was cancer. 
 
Movment  Image  Description 

Move 1  A,K,P,L on chairs and C on top 

of the block looking out. Patrick 
and say first part of monologue. 
Louisa stand up and Ambrose 
asks for help L sais “Sorry I 
can't help”. Karen do the same 
  with patrick. Then A and K do 
their chair duet. 
 

Move 2  A,K,P,L on chairs still and 

clancy sais why is no one 
listening and helping. When C 
sais no one cares anymore. P 
stand and catch me.  

Move 3  After move 2 A and P lay C 

down on front of block. A and P 
stand above C. C and L on the 
sides of C. P sais final part of 
  monologue then C dies and 
scene ends.  
 
Scientific Knowledge: 
In scene five the main character has entered the final stages of his life as the cancer has spread beyond
control. This process is called metastasis and it is where the tumour spreads from its original point of
growth. This happens when parts of the original tumour break off and enter the bloodstream or lymph
nodes. Once this has happened the tumour can latch onto the lymph nodes or any organ in the body as
long as the tumour avoids the bodies immune system​("Understanding Advanced")​. In the last two months
of an individual with lung cancer life it can be extremely painful and challenging. This is because the
immune system has been fighting the disease for some time already making patients bodies sensitive and
fragile. In the final stages of cancer patients lives they often experience extreme fatigue, difficulty
breathing and a loss of appetite. Once these symptoms come through it is a sign that the body is beginning
to lose the battle against the mutated cells. This can imply that the patients has a short time left to
live​("Physical Symptoms")​. Not of all of the distortion of the body's physical. Many signs of a cancer
patient in the final stages of his or her life is when their mental health declines rapidly. Many patients lose
their independence meaning they need to be moved into a full time care center so that they have someone
to look after them. A study looked into how cancer had affected the mental health of a group of patients in
their final stages. The results showed that 30% of the patients came out with a mental health
condition​("Cancer Effect")​. With a patient in the final stages of lung cancer their cells will be slowly
dying off making every movement more and more challenging.

Reflection of Drama and Science:

I feel that throughout this unit I have indulged myself into the learning experience. I have enjoyed reading
and learning about how cancer cells work and how plaques and tangles are the culprits of Alzheimer's. I
was not very experienced in the use of physical theater before I began this program. In fact, I have never
really done something like this. Through the duration of this course I feel that my skills developed greatly
through the process. Our idea for the final scene of our play was Charles (the protagonist) lying on a
block whilst the doctors explained how the cancer had won the battle against his immune system and how
some of the symptoms show that the body is slowly deteriorating. To incorporate drama into this we used
levels which we were taught in previous units. Levels provide a sense of hierarchy for the main character
and where the audience eyes should be looking. We also used the idea of having the character trying to
communicate with the rest of the actors yet falling as he is not really their. This adds emotion to the play
as Charles is trying to reach out for help yet his cries can not be heard. Finally, we used chair duets and
repetition in our final scene as we felt that it would demonstrate how dire the situation really was.
Moreover, the chair duet draws the audience attention while the other actors can prepare for the next bit.
It also directs their focus which is what we wanted to happen. Finally the use of lifts during scene 4
created a sense of defying gravity and a dream like sense which is exactly what we wanted from that. One
important point that I learned about the lifts is that you want to make it seem like there is no one holding
the actor. In my opinion we did this quite well yet we still need to improve as it is a challenging move. I
feel that combining the two subjects worked extremely well especially in the final scene as it allows the
audience to not only gain knowledge but to also experience the emotion and devastation that cancer can
cause.

Limitations and Benefits Reflection:

I feel that grouping Science and Drama together was a success in the case of our group yet there were still
some limitations to how we could perform. For example, when performing a drama piece it felt quite
awkward for me to stand up in a freeze frame and to use scientific knowledge that I had learned. Although
over the duration of our rehearsal it began to feel much more natural. Moreover, when it came to creating
the monologue for the scenes I found it quite challenging to explain the science behind some of the points
as it takes up a lot of words which I did not want to have. Our group had to try our best to simply the
knowledge so that we were not speaking for an extended period of time. On the other hand, I feel that
there were multiple benefits to combining these two subjects together. For example, the audience could
experience the drama whilst understanding how the cancer worked. Also, during the explanation stages of
our performance we often used our bodies to represent the immune system, the tumour etc. I feel this
works very well as visual representations help the audience truly understand and comprehend the scene.
Drama and science benefit each other as drama helps with the memorization of the science knowledge as
when we perform the piece it is much easier to memorize if it is visual.
 
 
Works Cited

“Cancer Effect on Mental Health.” ​MesotheliomaGroup,​

www.mesotheliomagroup.com/our-mission/resources/mental-health/. Accessed 11 Dec. 2017.

Eldridge, Lynne. “When Lung Cancer Spreads to the Brain.” Edited by Grant Hughes. ​VeryWell​, 27 Nov.

2017, www.verywell.com/lung-cancer-spread-to-the-brain-symptoms-and-diagnosis-2249331.

Accessed 11 Dec. 2017.

“Last Days of Life (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version.” ​National Cancer Institue​, 8 Apr. 2016,

www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/advanced-cancer/caregivers/planning/last-days-hp-pdq. Accessed

11 Dec. 2017.

“Physical Symptoms in the Last 2 to 3 Months of Life.” ​American Cancer Society​, 8 June 2016,

www.cancer.org/treatment/end-of-life-care/nearing-the-end-of-life/physical-symptoms.html.

Accessed 11 Dec. 2017.

“Understanding Advanced Cancer, Metastatic Cancer, and Bone Metastasis.” ​American Cancer Society​,

www.cancer.org/treatment/understanding-your-diagnosis/advanced-cancer/what-is.html.

Accessed 11 Dec. 2017.