Inspire change in self and society.

Dil Wickremasinghe

Event Title: Acting for the Future – Creative Approaches to Positive Mental Health and Well-Being

Date and Time: Friday 20 September, 10am-1pm

Venue: Samuel Beckett Theatre, Trinity College Dublin

 

Artists and Guest Speakers

Niamh Clowry, Researcher, Coordinator and Development Officer, Smashing Times; Eimear Burke, Psychologist; John Connors, actor, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, playwright and human rights activist; Féilim James, writer; and members of the Samaritans

Moderator: Robert Downes, Actor and Drama Facilitator, Smashing Times

Category: Combination of Theatre Performance, Film Screening, Talks

Tickets: Ticketed Event. Invited Schools Audience Only.

Bookings: SOLD OUT

 

DETAILS OF EVENT

An invited audience of 200 young people will enjoy a performance of A Day Out by Paul Kennedy from the acclaimed award-winning Testimonies by Paul Kennedy and Mary Moynihan. A Day Out is performed by Killian Filan. This is followed by the international premier of The Big No by Irish writer Féilim James. In this film, a young man tells the story of his psychological unravelling and subsequent mental health crisis. As he battles against panic attacks and suicidal thoughts, he is forced to face the ‘why’ of his problems head on, learning some essential truths about himself and the world. A Day Out and The Big No are produced by Mary Moynihan and Freda Manweiler, Smashing Times. 

The performance and film-screening are followed by questions from the audience with Eimear Burke, Psychologist, Féilim James, writer of The Big No and members of the Samaritans. This is followed by a panel discussion with presentations by Niamh Clowry, Smashing Times on the project Acting for the Future: Theatre and Film for Positive Mental Health and Well-Being; Eimear Burke, Psychologist, on the theme of social anxiety disorder (SAD); and John Connors, actor, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, playwright and human rights activist, speaking about Identity and positive mental health and well-being in the Traveller Community.

This event explores positive mental health and well-being and social anxiety through theatre, film and discussion. The aim is to feed the soul and celebrate the role of the arts in promoting positive mental health and well-being.

 

Structure

Performance: A Day Out by Paul Kennedy from Testimonies

Performed by Killian Filan

Directed by Bairbre Ni Chaoimh

Produced by Mary Moynihan, Freda Manweiler

A Day Out is one of five monologues that makes up the highly acclaimed Testimonies by Mary Moynihan and Paul Kennedy, the monologues are adapted from the experiences of those who have lost loved ones to suicide, and of those who themselves have been through a suicidal crisis and survived. Testimonies is presented as part of Acting for the Future. A Day Out by Paul Kennedy tells the story of two friends in their twenties and their last day together.

 

Film: The Big No by Féilim James

Performed by Laura Brady and Féilim James

Directed by Mark Quinn

Produced by Mary Moynihan, Freda Manweiler

The Big No by Irish writer Féilim James, centres around a young man who tells the story of his psychological unravelling and subsequent mental health crisis. As he battles against panic attacks and suicidal thoughts, he is forced to face the ‘why’ of his problems head on, learning some essential truths about himself and the world.

 

Keynote: Acting for the Future: Theatre for Positive Mental Health and Well-Being

Speaker: Niamh Clowry, Researcher, Coordinator and Development Officer, Smashing Times

Niamh Clowry speaks about Positive Mental Health and Well-Being as a Human Right and presents on the project titled Acting for the Future: Theatre and Film for Positive Mental Health and Well-Being, a unique Irish and European wide project supported by Erasmus+, HSE National Office for Social Inclusion, ESB Energy for Generations Fund, HSE National Lottery and Dublin City Council Arts Office. Smashing Times have been awarded the daa Arts Award (Alliance Business to Arts), Dublin Bus Community Spirit Award, GSK Ireland Impact Award and National Lottery Good Causes Award for Acting for the Future. The project uses participative drama workshops, professional performances, film screenings and post-show panel discussions with counsellors and clinical psychologists to promote active healthy lifestyles and positive mental health and well-being and is presented in partnership with the Samaritans.

 

Keynote: Social Anxiety

Speaker: Eimear Burke, Psychologist

Eimear Burke presents on social anxiety disorder (SAD), a surprisingly common form of anxiety disorder that causes an individual to experience intense anxiety in some or all of their social interactions in everyday life. Given this, social anxiety can be defined as the persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which one is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others, and where exposure to such situations provokes intense anxiety. Eimear will speak about her own practice and her work in this area.

 

Keynote: Identity and Well-Being in the Traveller Community

Speaker: John Connors, Irish actor, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, playwright and human rights activist known for his role as Patrick Ward in the Irish crime drama series Love/Hate and for Cardboard Gangsters in which he won best actor at the 2018 Irish film and television awards.

John Connors presents on the impact of positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for the Traveller community

 

Final Q and A Session chaired by Moderator with questions from audience

Closing Comments by Moderator, Robert Downes

Supported by Acting for the Future: Theatre for Positive Mental Health and Well-Being with special thanks to Erasmus+, HSE National Office for Social Inclusion, HSE National Lottery, ESB Energy for Generations Funds and the Samaritans.