Art with Heart’s Declaration (Image courtesy of Sam Ryley)
When: Touring until 22nd November 2018
Where: Across the UK
£: Ticket prices vary, depending on the venue
What is it?
After winning the ADHD Foundation Partnership Award in 2017, Art with Heart return with a tour of Declaration, a comic and candid look at Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.
Developed in consultation with medical professionals and mental health support groups, Declaration challenges the stereotypes of mental health and gender in the 21st century.
Instinctive, curious, bold and bouncy, Sarah is a mighty proud square peg – which wouldn’t be such a problem if the hole wasn’t so damn round. Her childhood doctor thought it was sugar. Her current doctor thinks it’s ADHD. Sarah still feels different, so what will a label do? Declaration is a vibrant and daring adventure of school day survival tactics, super-hero alter-egos and the stumbling blocks to self-acceptance.
Filled with great tunes, dancing and humour, Declaration is an upbeat autobiographical piece about the challenges Sarah Emmott faced as she sought a diagnosis in her 30s. ADHD Action reports that about 1.5 million adults in the UK have the condition, but only 120,000 have been formally diagnosed. A complex, frustrating and isolating process, Emmott discovered that you often need to be living in the extremities of the condition to receive support.
With boys nearly three times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls, many girls go undiagnosed. Children and adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) reported ‘the lack of appropriate identification and treatment of ADHD in women is a significant public health concern’. Declaration addresses social attitudes and gendered stereotypes, placing ADHD in women on the public agenda.
Catch the tour at:
The Met in Bury on 24th October
York Theatre Royal in York on 25th October
The Pound in Corsham, Wiltshire on 27th October
Castle Theatre in Wellingborough on 30th October
Attenborough Arts Centre, University of Leicester in Leicester, on 2nd November
The Fisher Theatre in Bungay on 7th November
Pegasus Theatre in Oxford on 9th November
Sheffield Theatres Studio in Sheffield on 15th November
Derby Theatre in Derby on 17th November
Arena Theatre in Wolverhamptom on 22nd November
Declaration tours with SPACE, a mobile room where audiences can take the time to consider their personal well-being. The 2018 Declaration tour has been developed with The Lowry and produced in association with the ADHD Foundation, a patient-led charity and leading UK provider of training on ADHD.
Sarah Emmott began performing, writing and working on meaningful creative experiences in 2005, and founded Art with Heart in 2010. Her performance work spans theatre, television and stand-up comedy. Her theatre credits include Belgrade Theatre Coventry, The Lowry and Manchester International Festival. Her TV credits include Small World, Fresh Meat and Lost in Austen.
More info: www.artwithheart.org.uk
Leave a comment