Canada

For Mary Ann, it began with headaches. For Fatima, it was the thought of another unwanted pregnancy. They both went to their doctor for help and were given drugs. Their stories, in the play Side-Effects strike chords with women all over the world.

When two female Bangladeshi community workers visited Canada they were surprised how much they had in common with local women when it came to health issues: like which is worse — the dangers of the Pill or yet another pregnancy? Realising that women everywhere face the same concerns sparked off the idea of a new way to set them thinking about health — through a play.

Side-Effects has been seen by some 10,000 Canadian women in church halls, community centres and high school gyms. As they sit there in the darkened auditorium, they watch their own lives as 'patients' unfold through the characters. And what they see stirs them up.

'You put my life on stage,' says one woman from Edmonton in Canada. 'I was addicted to Valium (a tranquiliser).'

The idea of the play grew from workshops and discussions aimed at finding a way to reach the greatest number of women. 'It had to be affordable and factual,' explains one of the organisers, Karen Seabrooke. 'At the same time it had to be gripping, not only intellectually but also emotionally.'

The women at the workshop formed Women's Health Interaction (WHI) to thrash out ideas. Some of them had previous experience working with Ottawa's Great Canadian Theatre Company, and they felt that a play could be a good way of combining entertainment with information that would be accessible to a variety of people watching.

The project took off. The script was developed collectively allowing for improvisation so that the players could mix in their own experiences.

Side-Effects certainly set women thinking. 'We are taught that doctors solve everything,' says a Saskatchewan mother. 'I can see now that the most important thing is for us to take control of our own lives, confronting the problems that create the need for the drugs in the first place.'

Side-Effects, backed by the development agency Inter Pares, toured Canada for 12 weeks, playing 45 shows all over the country. And it didn't end when the curtain came down. After the show, the audience had a chance to talk about what they'd seen. 'It was rewarding to see how relevant the play was to so many women,' says Karen Seabrooke. 'Many women wrote to us about the play and several self-help groups are starting up.' In Manitoba for instance a women's health network has been formed to look at consumer action on drugs, theatre as a tool in health education, and ways of improving the health services for women. Regina Healthsharing group is producing a workbook, and another theatre group has translated the script into French for a tour of Quebec.

As one woman said after the show, 'We need to get groups together, to question doctors, and to support each other. The best applause we can give is to continue the work started in the play.'

Based on information provided by the Women's Health Interaction, Inter Pares, Ottawa, Canada.