Improvisational comedy event "living and laughing with cancer" at UCSF

UCSF Cancer Resource Center will host “Living and Laughing with Cancer: An Evening of Improvisational Theater” on Thursday, September 21, from 5 to 7 p.m.

The interactive-based program will be staged by members of BATS’ Laughing Stock Players, part of BATS’ Improv, a Bay-Area based non-profit education and performance theater company.  The Laughing Stock program offers free improvisational classes to people living with HIV, AIDS, hepatitis C, cancer and other chronic and life-threatening illnesses.

According to the event coordinators, research has proven that laughing can alleviate anxiety, increase blood and oxygen flow to major organs, improve pain thresholds and increase immune activity. 

The performance will feature an interactive showcase based on the audience’s suggestions. A post-performance workshop is designed to have the audience participate in improvisational exercises that foster spontaneity and creativity.  Here, instructors encourage individuals coping with illness, act as caregivers or healthcare professionals to be imaginative and to take risks.  No experience in improvisation is necessary.

The event is free to the public and will take place at UCSF’s Herbst Hall, 1600 Divisidero Street, 2nd Floor, in San Francisco. 

For more information and to RSVP for the event, contact the Cancer Resource Center of the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center at (415) 885-3693.