The topic of mental health can perhaps feel distant to some, however it affects us all. Defined by the World Health Organisation, Mental health is  ‘as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community’. But what happens if you, or a member of your family struggles with the day to day stresses life can often throw at us? Writer and performer Isabelle Kabban explores this in her latest show, LOVE (Watching Madness). Drawing from her own personal experiences of her mother being diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, Isabelle speaks of the importance of discussing mental health, her approach towards creating the show and debuting the show at the John Thaw Mental Health Season at The Actors Centre in 2018.

We’re beginning to live in a time whereby the rights and experiences of women are truly being put into the foreground, and this is significant. We’ve witnessed recently, how laws passed can negatively impact on communities; the Alabama case recently in which they passed a bill banning abortion serving as a stark reminder as to how far we societally have to go in order for  women’s voices to be heard and rights prioritise. Drawing from her own personal experiences, writer and performer Claire Rammelkamp talks about her first full length show, A Womb of One’s Own. Showing at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe from late July at the Pleasance Dome, we hear more about Claire’s creative process and being supported by the Charlie Harthill Theatre Reserve Fund.

Founded in 2007 by Daniel Goldman, CASA – meaning ‘home’ in Portuguese and Spanish is one of the UK’s biggest champions of cultural exchanges between Latin American and UK based artists. An arts organisation programming predominantly theatre, their well known and respected festival has enjoyed 9 editions, with its 10th taking place this July. Taking over the helm of both the organisation and festival this year is CASA contributer Cordelia Grierson, the newly appointed Artistic Director who has helped shape CASA’s journey behind the scenes within the past 8 years. Talking ahead of this year’s festival, Cordelia tells us more about what to expect as well as the event’s newly introduced multi-disciplinary element.

A life changing process, the process of pregnancy is something we hear and see very little spoken about; the biological process usually depicted by its last moment, giving birth. A process that can only truly be understood and experienced by those going through it, the emotional impact of pregnancy is an ever lasting one, rippling throughout families going through it. What also isn’t the discussed is the heartbreaking truth that ‘1 in 4 pregnancies end in loss during pregnancy or birth’, a taboo subject matter rarely discussed. Created in collaboration with UCL Neuroscience Professor Kate Jeffrey, Lecturer of Philosophy at the University of Kent Dr Graeme Forbes and charities Anyone Everymum and Aching Arms, director Guillaume Pigé discusses Theatre Re’s poignant theatre piece, BIRTH, showing at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

After receiving critical acclaim for solo show WHITE, the debut show in her Colour Trilogy, writer and performer Koko Brown returns with the debut of the trilogy’s second instalment, GREY – an autobiographical piece exploring depression and the taboos that so often obscure black women’s mental health. Starring Sapphire Joy and directed by Nicholai La Barrie, GREY integrates spoken work, vocal looping and British Sign Language to further explore the broader conversation of mental health. Koko tells us more about the show…

Home to Europe’s most famous street party, the Notting Hill Carnival typically witnesses over 1,000,000 spectators partying the day away on the streets of West London. With over 50,000 performers providing the iconic carnival’s sparkle, the August Bank Holiday weekend serves as a time to connect with fellow spectators and celebrate years of tradition the carnival has brought the capital. Inspired by her experiences of carnival, playwright Yasmin Joseph has crafted her first full length play J’Ouvert, which translates as ‘dawn’ in the Antillean Creole French language and is an annual street party taking place in many Caribbean Islands. Ahead of J’Ouvert’s run at Theatre503, Yasmin spoke to us about the show’s pivotal themes, how she approached creating the show and what she’d like for audiences to take away from it.

Kema Sikazwe is an actor, rapper, singer (who performs under the name Kema Kay), rising star and Live Theatre Associate Artist. He played Daniel Blake’s neighbour China, in the Ken Loach film, I, Daniel Blake. His debut show Shine is a Live Theatre production which tells his own autobiographical story through an electrifying live soundtrack and heartfelt words. Shine premiered at Live Theatre, Newcastle from Thu 2 – Sat 11 May and transfers to the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh from Thu 16 – Sat 18 May. Find out more about his show ‘Shine’; a show looking back at his journey from Zambia to assimilating to a new life in Newcastle at 3 years old.

An Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation since 2012, the Norfolk and Norwich Festival collaborate with artists both locally and globally to curate a unique line up of artists annually. Taking place over 17 days in May, the festival ‘transforms our public spaces, city streets, performance venues, parks, forests and beaches, bringing people together to experience the same brilliant and inspirational events’. This year’s eclectic line up will witness shows spanning ‘music, theatre, literature, visual arts, circus, dance and free outdoor events’. Responsive to universal issues, this year’s festival looks to explore themes of  ‘journeying and crossing borders’ and ‘making and doing ourselves’, two themes incredibly pertinent. Ahead of his year’s festival, festival Director Daniel Brine discussed the planning and creatives who make this vision possible.

From Monday 20th to Sunday 26th May, Dementia Action Week aims to encourage ‘everyone to take action by starting a conversation; whether it’s calling a relative with dementia or visiting a neighbour, it’s time to start talking’ (Alzheimer’s Society). The week will ‘unite people, workplaces, schools and communities to take action and improve the lives of people living with dementia’. We’re living in a time whereby discussions around dementia are starting to become prominent, however greater awareness to the disease is a necessity. Having conducted workshops with dementia peer groups; inspiring the creation of their immersive show One Hundred Trillion, The Dot Collective look to create a sensory show raising awareness as well as being relatable to its audience. Read on to find out more about the show’s creation process and inspirations as we spoke to Director Laura Harling ahead of the show.