Show tells of woman's life with disease
T.O. resident's story features humor and music
Marty McCambridge will present “The Nordic Princess Breaks the Ice: A Tale of Indomitable Fragility” at 8 p.m. Friday, March 10, and Saturday, March 11.
(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Feb. 21, 2017) A Thousand Oaks resident will tell her story of living with brittle bone disease in a one-woman show featuring humor and music at California Lutheran University.
Marty McCambridge will present “The Nordic Princess Breaks the Ice: A Tale of Indomitable Fragility” at 8 p.m. Friday, March 10, and Saturday, March 11, in Preus-Brandt Forum on the university’s Thousand Oaks campus.
McCambridge wrote the play about her experiences with osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare congenital bone disorder characterized by brittle bones prone to fracture. She has broken more than 50 bones in her lifetime.
The play came out of a life-story writing seminar that McCambridge attended. She found herself writing not only about the pain, depression and reduced quality of life the disease had caused her, but also anecdotes about the joy of being alive. The play goes beyond her struggles with the debilitating disease to celebrate a life well lived.
Her husband, Cal Lutheran education professor Michael McCambridge, is directing the show, and the university’s Theatre Arts Department is producing it. Michael McCambridge has helped schools incorporate drama throughout their curriculum and served as the Education Director for the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company.
The McCambridge team previously presented the play at the Lincoln Stegman Theatre in North Hollywood in a 2016 production sponsored by Emmanuel Lutheran Actors Theatre Ensemble (ELATE). ELATE, which produces several shows a year selected from proposals submitted by people throughout the greater Los Angeles area, awarded the one-act play its Best Show and Best Actress awards in August. Michael McCambridge co-founded ELATE in 1984 as a ministry of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in North Hollywood.
Admission is free, but donations will be accepted for the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation. It is estimated that between 25,000 and 50,000 people in the United States have brittle bone disease. It is a genetic disorder that affects people throughout their lives. Patients may also suffer respiratory problems, hearing loss and other issues. Although the symptoms and severity vary widely, the majority of people with the disease lead healthy, productive lives and can expect an average lifespan with good medical management and supportive care. Osteogenesis imperfecta was highlighted in the 2009 book “Handle with Care” by Jodi Picoult and in the 2000 movie “Unbreakable” starring: Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson.
The forum is located south of Olsen Road near Mountclef Boulevard.
For more information, visit CalLutheran.edu or contact Michael McCambridge at mac@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3093.
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