Chris O’Connor and Tony Pickering, who many of you will have met during the Athlone conference, are in the final days of their Kickstarter (November 6th); let’s help get them over the finish line!
(Matthew is highlighting this campaign, but please contact Chris via Kickstarter for any specific questions.)
From The Life And Soul – Act One Kickstarter Page:
We are raising funds for Act One of our graphic novel adaptation of my play The Life and Soul which toured with Red Ladder Theatre Company in 2016, and its sister piece The Parting Glass which toured in 2019.
The play deals with mental health and depression in young men and was supported by Arts Council England, Leeds Community Foundation and the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust touring England and Northern Ireland and was a success with audiences and critics.
Exploring mental health, masculinity and human connection in a social media-obsessed world, The Life and Soul was produced by Red Ladder Theatre Company and directed by Rod Dixon.
…
The funding will support myself and illustrator, Tony Pickering, to collaborate to produce a 100+ page graphic novel of the story explored on stage in the plays ‘The Life and Soul’ and ‘The Parting Glass’. Over the course of a year, working both independently and collaboratively we will have created a graphic novel that addresses key issues such as mental health and suicide. We will have 250 copies of these free for key venues and organisations in the region, as well as some given directly to individuals who would benefit.
We know this story resonates on the issues it covers – this next evolution allows it to touch more people affected by those issues. The theatrical version toured with a dedicated healthcare professional and was paired with Q&A’s which was of a real benefit. For this version we will have a mental health toolkit in the appendix to the story, tapping into the success of the burgeoning field of graphic medicine. We will also plan a series of workshops around graphic novels, writing and promoting better mental health habits.
By use of a different medium we move beyond the ephemeral nature of the story as a theatre piece to create a lasting artefact that can be used to target demographics not reached by previous iterations. The creation of a permanent, physical manifestation of the story will create a resource people can return to. It can be there for them at all times – giving a voice to their feelings and providing tools to help improve their own mental health.
Leave a Comment