A poetic and uplifting examination of how race and gender intersect with issues of mental health will tour to London and Oxford this Spring.
Bringing to life their late co-founder Philip Osment’s final play, Playing ON will present the world premiere of Can I Help You? at The North Wall in Oxford and Omnibus Theatre in Clapham, London.
An off-duty English policeman is about to throw himself off Beachy Head when he is met by a Ghanaian woman carrying a laundry bag and a cat box. Over the course of one night, two very different people learn what it truly means to be touched by the magic of hope. A nuanced and compassionate piece, it finds hope in the bleakest of circumstances.
Drawn from community mental health programmes, the piece is partly inspired by characters created by service users and clinicians, as well as interviews with members of the Ghanaian community.
Susan Aderin (Guerrilla, Sky Atlantic; Peer Gynt, National Theatre) will appear as Fifi, alongside Gabriel Vick (Les Misérables, BBC; Once, West End) as Francis..
Playing ON looks to marry professional theatre and socially engaged practise, using theatre as a method for the powerless and the powerful to explore common issues and find insight into the others perspective.
When: 13th February 2020 (Oxford), and 3rd – 21st March 2020 (London)
Where: The North Wall, Oxford OX2 7JN and Omnibus Theatre, London SW4 0QW
£: Tickets cost £13 – £16
More info: www.thenorthwall.com and www.omnibus-clapham.org
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