Keep Taking The Tablets

A brilliant, moving new play and interactive discussion about mental health and mental health services by Duncan Sibbald and Will Geffin.

One in four of us will experience mental health problems at some time in our life, yet there is so little public awareness and understanding of mental health issues; of those who suffer, of those who care for those who suffer and of the services that are supposed to help. Discrimination, fear and ignorance still surrounds mental health and the number of cases of Hate Crime are on the increase.

This powerful new drama raises public awareness and understanding of mental health issues. Written by a family member of someone with a long history of mental health problems it deeply engages the audience with humour, pathos and it brings real insight into the true nature of mental health and the reality of how society deals with it.

'Keep Taking The Tablets' is for all organisations and for public presentations. It iinvolves the performance of the drama plus a meaningful interactive discusion  about mental health that explores what works, what doesn't work and what is still needed.

The presentation can last from between 1 to 2 hours depending on time available, the 50 minute drama is followed by the powerful interactive awareness raising processes that get deeply to into the issues.

"Incredibly moving, thought provoking and a great context for discussion about the 'state of mental health'".

Sarah Danily, Director of the national charity Mind, in Brighton and Hove.

"A fantastic performance of 'Keep Taking The Tablets', was a very moving experience"

Kate Bacon from the national charity MIND

'Keep Taking The Tablets' was a very powerful and thought-provoking play and certainly would lead to much needed discussion of mental health issues. The production values and performances was very high" 

Conference partipant.

 

"Congatulations on an exellent play, a groundbreaking piece of work and much needed. You are a pioneer on the rock face of mental health. It would be good if it could be taken to Day Centres"

Clare from Sussex Oakleaf (Mental Health services) on Keep Taking The Tablets

 

The press on 'Keep Taking The Tablets':

"Being able to laugh at such a topic while also being informed is a very powerful thing".

"5 out of 5, the production was outstanding and so important to raise awareness of this still, very much taboo subject".

The Latest Magazine

The Real Presentations 

Two new dynamic interactive drama awareness raising presentations- Recognising and Responding to Abuse- 

'Someone To Watch Over Me'- elder abuse.

'Stop It!' -  adults with learning difficulties and disabilities.

There are details of these two events below. You can also see and print the REAL Presentations flier by clicking here: REAL PRESENTATIONS FLIER

  

Somone To Watch Over Me

A poweful new drama and training event about elder abuse

Everyday vulnerable adults are physically, psychologically, financially or sexually abused, discriminated against or neglected by others. understanding and awareness is needed urgently.

This drama training event was originally commissioned by Lincolnshire County Council to raise awareness and improve services. It explores the ordinariness and the complexities of how older people can be abused in their own homes.

Phyllis is independent but because she has dementia she moves in with her daughter and son-in-law. - How and why does elder abuse happen and why do others allow it to continue when they know it's happenning?

The powerful drama is followed by Sunny Arts' enlightening interactive training session which helps audiences explore the issues in a real and meaningful way that helps uncover: what is needed and what can we do about it?

Someone To Watch Over Me is for everyone interested in this important social concern and organisations and local authorities working with vulnerable people. The event is available to conference and training events organisers across the UK and can be adapted to the needs of particular organisations. The medium of drama combined with the creative training session make this a powerful and important training event.

What people have said about Somone To Watch Over Me:

"Very powerful"      "Thought provoking"      "Poignant""

Emotive and Strong"       "Very moving"      "What an eye opener" 

"Excellent way of putting information across"    

"Clearly shows how abuse can happen"

"Best interactive session I have known"

"A very powerful tool" 

                 STOP IT!

A 'REAL' presentation for adults with learning difficulties and disabilities.

This is an entertaining yet highly effective drama and audience participation presentation that comprises seven interactive drama scenes that illustrate the different types of abuse- Physical, Psychological, Emotional, Sexual, Financial, Institutional and Hate Crime and Bullying. It features actors with learning difficulties and is a humourous yet empowering show that allows the audience to explore how to recognise abuse and how to stop abuse and it empowers people to say STOP IT!. The presentation is suitable for all adults with learning difficulties and disabilities in any setting as well as those organisations who want to better support people.

"Brilliant"                "Fantastic"               "amazing"           "I like drama"        "Stop it!"

Participants from the Keeping Well, Keeping Safe conference in Richmond after the REAL presentation.

 

"Thankyou for the interactive drama today. As well it being extremely informative it was very enjoyable too- the time flew by"

Shaun Tipton, Crown Prosecution Service on Stop It! in Somerset

 

  It's In The Small Things

        

This powerful presentation was originally commissoned by Anne Barrett, the Dignity Lead at The Department of Health. Its aim is to raise awareness of dignity in care.

"A simple story, not even a story, an incident, a simple misunderstanding, does it matter, is it important?......Yes, to these people it matters, it's important, it's actually about the very quality of the their lives, and it's about dignity"

The drama about Margaret who has recently moved to a Care Home and her daughter Ruth and a simple misunderstanding that takes place over money is a small thing that actually has enormous significance for these people. 'It's In The Small Things' is an emotive short drama followed by a powerful interactive process that allow audiences to get deelpy invoved in the issues and emotions that people and their families can experience when going into Care and it explores how staff can act to give these people their dignity. The work that can be done in this interactive drama event has been described as simply profound.

'It's In The Small Things' is for all Care providers, Caring agencies, Care Homes  and everyone interested in respecting the dignity of people using services. It can be presented at conferences, staff training, public awareness events etc.

"I just wanted to thank you for such an excellent performance at the Care Home event, the evaluations were superb"

Anne Barrett, Dignity Lead, The Department of Health, organiser of the 'Dignity in Care' National Conferences. 

A Slender Thread

By Will Geffin, based on the book by Dianne Ackerman.

"There's no point to my life. I'm not doing anything of value with it. No one would miss me, no one would care if I were gone"

"Suicidal people have tunnel vision, no other choice seems possible. A counsellor's job is to put window's and doors in that tunnel"

From: A Slender Thread

This is a powerful short drama based on real experience about a call to a  telephone counselling helpline. It is a moving and compassionate presentation about how to work with people at a low point in their lives and the experience of the counsellor. The presentation can take from between 45 minutes and 90 miunutes depending on time avaialable and features the drama which takes 25 minutes, followed by the powerful interactive training/awareness raising session. It makes for a profound awareness raising or training event and the interactive session can be adapted to meet the needs of different audiences and events. Counselling orgainsations and other organisations working with 'distressed' people in the community would benefit from this presentation. And it can work purely as a stand alone powerful, drama.

This presentation can also be presented as part of a larger event that includes the 'Keep Taking The Tablets' presentation. For more information get in touch. The script of A Slender Thread is available to read.

"I found 'A Slender Thread' immensely moving and sensitive".

Conference participant

  Jake's Justice

This emotive drama and training event was commissioned by the Crown Prosecution Service and Voice UK for one conference, but because of it's powerful impact has been requested by many organisations across the UK. It has been performed for Crown Prosecution Services, police forces, Victim Support, Action On Elder Abuse, numerous councils and large and small service providers and housing associations.

Jake's Justice tells the story of how a man with learning difficulties is sexually abused in a residential home and how the justice system deals with his case.

Nicholas Wolfson, an actor with learning difficulties plays Jake and gives a particularly moving performance that has affected many hundreds of people.

The training element after the drama explores the effects of abuse on the victim and their family and also how the criminal justice system can fail the most vulnerable members of our society. It opens up a forum which allows the audience to enter the world of the victim and get a deep understanding of how services can let people down and where they need to be improved. The event is for all organisations and individuals working with vulnerable people and anyone concerned about abuse.

We have many powerful reviews of this event from the hundreds of people who have seen it. You can look at our testimonials page to see a selection, here's a few responses:

"I found it deeply moving and thought provoking"

"Everyone working with vulnerable people should have to watch Jake's Justice"

"It has informed a lot of my thinking about the work I do now"

Lawyers and managers from the Crown Prosecution Service 

Tom Paine's Revolutionary States

This important play by writer Will Geffin tells the life story of Tom Paine, his search for inner peace and outer freedom and the history of the American war of Independence. The play is a social comment on both the man and the hypocracy of governments. The play is a vibrant, dramatic roller coaster journey filled with humour, pathos and at least two revolutions. The twenty or so characters are played by just three actors, two men and one woman who play characters as diverse as two American presidents and a British taxman. The story tells the whole of Tom Paines difficult life in Britain to his development into a revolutionary, to his becoming a founding father of the American War of Independence before moving on to help the French Revolution. It ends with the ignominious death of a man who changed the face of the world yet ended his life penniless and destitute.

The play has been perfomed at The Brighton Festival in Britain to sell out houses. If you would be interested in producing this play or getting the script please get in touch.