every.single.one, Columbia Entertainment Company (CEC) Theater, Columbia, MO. USA. 2025 (Photo: Jonathan Meyer)
ABOUT EVERY.SINGLE.ONE.
How The Show Came To Life
In 2017, when Cherie Sampson posted images on social media of a photographic series shot in an apple orchard in springtime of her body made hairless from chemotherapy, a friend and ovarian cancer survivor commented, “Every. Single. One. of us who has been with this disease is validated, loved and to a certain extent, freed by this image.” Being with this disease may be as a patient, survivor, previvor, caretaker, or even a medical practitioner or researcher working in the field
of oncology.
of oncology.
“every.single.one” became the title for a one-woman, intermedia performance about Sampson’s cancer experience that depicts personal, familial and community stories with hereditary cancer while exploring topics of science, genetics, integrative oncology and healing from the patient’s perspective of modern medicine. It interweaves three levels of testimonial – the artist’s, her sister’s, and those of hereditary cancer survivors and previvors* whose stories were conveyed to Sampson in a series of interviews. She began documenting the cancer process in audio-visual material from the moment the phone call came from the radiologist informing her that the biopsy found breast cancer, anticipating that the “suspicious mass” might be cancer because her sister had been diagnosed twice by that time.
*People carrying a known genetic risk for cancer who may take prophylactic measures to prevent the onset of the disease.
*People carrying a known genetic risk for cancer who may take prophylactic measures to prevent the onset of the disease.
every.single.one, Southern Theater, 2024 Minnesota Fringe Festival, Minneapolis, MN. USA (Photo: Dave Suggs)
The documentary and other media collected during and after treatment comprise the sensorially rich audio-visual environment of the performance that, along with live and prerecorded spoken word and expressive movement and dance, is integral to the storytelling. Sampson’s endeavor to document her experience in real-time with an end-goal of an artistic production evoked hope for something coming to fruition in a future in which she would be alive.
“every.single.one” became the title for this intermedia performance.
every.single.one, Southern Theater, 2024 Minnesota Fringe Festival, Minneapolis, MN. USA (Photo: Dave Suggs)
Dance and art as healing practices is an important throughline in the performance as it was during Sampson’s treatment and recovery. She has trained in the South Indian classical dance form, Bharatanatyam since 2009. Shortly after diagnosis, she shared with her dance mentor and collaborator, Anjali Tata-Hudson that she wished “to keep dancing through this.” Together they worked on traditional dance items representing Ganesh and Kali (the Hindu goddess of ferocious transformation) that would provide focus for physical, emotional, and spiritual strength that were later re-envisioned into creative movement segments co-choreographed by Tata-Hudson and Sampson for the every.single.one performance.
every.single.one, Columbia Entertainment Company (CEC) Theater, Columbia, MO. USA. 2025 (Photo: Jonathan Meyer)
Full production of “every.single.one” CEC Theater, Columbia, MO. 2025.
15-minute reel with excerpts from scenes from Act 1.
Directed by Cheryl Black. Videographers: Brian MacNeel & JJ Measer.
Full production of “every.single.one” CEC Theater, Columbia, MO. 2025.
16-minute reel with excerpts from scenes from Act 2.
Directed by Cheryl Black. Videographers: Brian MacNeel & JJ Measer.
every.single.one, Columbia Entertainment Company (CEC) Theater, Columbia, MO. USA. 2025 (Photo: Jonathan Meyer)
Meet the Creator of every.single.one
Cherie Sampson
Cherie Sampson’s work spans over three decades, weaving together environmental and responsive performance, sculpture, video art, and dance. Deeply rooted in the natural world, her art explores the relationship between body, landscape, and contexts of place, transforming physical environments into spaces of reflection and renewal. Her performances, often created in remote or wild settings across the U.S. and abroad, merge ecological awareness with embodied lyricism. Blending mythology, ecofeminist thought, with in-situ installation and/or experimentation in digital post-production, Sampson’s work evokes timeless themes of transformation, resilience, and interconnectedness. Whether performing amid frozen lakes in the arctic tundra or onstage in a black box, she invites viewers to witness the quiet pulse of physical or simulacra of nature through her body as conduit and collaborator.
Interdisciplinary Artist and Creator of every.single.one
Booking the Performance
The ideal space for presenting every.single.one is a Blackbox theater, however it may be modified for alternate spaces such as conference rooms or lecture halls. Please contact our team for more information.