What is THE SIX?

THE SIX is brought to you by Curtain Up Cancer Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, whose mission is to ease the effects of cancer through the creative arts. THE SIX is a unique show that celebrates the lives of six people who have been affected by cancer. Each year, through a community collaboration, six honorees are selected and their stories are artfully created into an onstage performance. The stories are performed by professional actors, singers and dancers and take the audience on a journey of the honorees’ lives through a dramatic combination of storytelling, song and dance. All six stories are unique but the one link that weaves the stories together is the fortitude in which the honorees live, survive, and celebrate, even when affected by cancer.

Why is this Important? 

Unfortunately, within the cancer community there is a void in recovery. People may be healing physically but are still suffering emotionally. Annually, approximately 7,000 residents of Bexar County are newly diagnosed with cancer. Up to 70% of cancer survivors experience depression, anxiety or PTSD, and cancer patients with higher levels of distress have a 32% greater risk of cancer mortality. Additionally, many family members who care for cancer patients experience decline in their own health. Very little support is available for managing the effects of treatment using the creative arts. People affected by cancer experience therapeutic benefits in the cognitive, affective, interpersonal and personal domains from both telling their stories and hearing other people’s stories about the cancer experience. THE SIX is designed to help fill this void and help heal the emotional wounds of those affected by cancer.