When Tania Katan was looking for books on the subject of cancer she was surprised to find there "weren't any that were irreverent and silly and queer and funky." Go figure. She's since filled that gap with a book that's also been turned into a one-woman show called My One-Night Stand with Cancer, the content of which is based on firsthand knowledge — Katan survived two bouts of breast cancer, both of which resulted in mastectomies.
If a funny book about cancer seems absurd, well, that's the idea: "I think humor is a really healthy coping mechanism. It's a way to add levity to a situation that is otherwise pretty grave," she explains. By putting her story out there Katan aims to "open up a dialogue" that may help others better deal with their encounters with the big C, or a similarly awful life circumstance.
In her play, Katan (assuming a "Spalding Gray-esque kind of style") portrays both herself and an array of characters she encountered during her cancer episodes, dealing with "the awkward moments that happen around illness" while also celebrating the notion that laughter is indeed the best medicine.