connecting: The Prince's Trust
In 2017, Nova Grace Productions connected with The Prince's Trust in London to deliver a performance and Q&A as part of The Our World Project alongside their resident psychologist, for their staff, on the subject of mental health awareness.
Our World XVII: Shadows specifically focuses on the subject depression and suicide, engaging both intellectually and emotionally on the subject. The 30-minute performance combines a spoken monologue with dance and music, to express both verbally and visually the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist. It gives an insight of their inner thoughts and builds a character that people can relate to, therefore effectively bringing down guards and encouraging people to open up about their own experiences.
"Turn your face to the sun... and the shadows will fall behind"
Larry W. Heimgartner
In 2017, we worked with the Performing Arts and Health and Social Care departments at Leeds City College and Barnsley College to present “Shadows” and open the topic up for discussion with students. With dance and drama workshops alongside the performances, the students present had the opportunity to explore, reflect and express their personal experiences and feelings, and made the space safe for open discussions. For many, it was a unique experience where they felt comfortable to open up for the first time, allowing themselves to look for the help they might need.
As part of the project, the performance was also presented to students in a school off Belize, and to a rural community event of 3000 people in western Uganda in 2016. To have the monologue simultaneously translated into the local tribal language was a humbling experience and people laughed and cried along. In both situations, it was the first time that the idea of mental health had been discussed, but it gave people the very beginning of an understanding of it.
