Monday, November 21, 2016

The Hope Song project

What did I say when asked to write a play for Mental Health Week in October  2017? The answer had to be "Yes". Next October Surfcoast Shire will celebrate Mental Health Week with the Arts of the Mind Festival. Several community arts events will take place during the week, and this project - The Hope Song - will be performed in Anglesea as an APA (Anglesea Performing Arts) production. My wonderful  talented friend Iris Walshe-Howling will direct the play, which will be in the style of Verbatim Theatre. This 'spoken-word' style of performance is one where the words that the actors speak come from real conversations with real people about their life experiences. I am humbled by the experiences people have shared with me about their mental health challenges. How generous they are to trust me with their stories. It gives me a great responsibility to tell their stories with as much sensitivity and thoughtfulness that I can bring to this important  project.