In collaboration with local charity Hillside, the play examines how mental health was perceived in the 20th century and serves as a warning to treat it very differently now.
Sprinkled with moments of dark comedy and inspired by the writings of Sarah Kane, students from the University of Cambridge are bringing the highly successful, harrowing drama “Black is the Colour of My Soul” to The Courtyard Theatre, running from the 20th-24th August at 7:30pm each evening.
The narrative follows the lives of three asylum patients under the watchful eyes of their doctors as they try to lead the best life they can, or escape the institution at any cost. However, as the fragile ecosystem of the asylum is disrupted, the doctors’ own sanities are called into question as the walls of reality break down around them, revealing the true nature of the institution. Reflecting on the abhorrent treatment of asylum patients in the 20th Century, this play will bring to light a darker history of Mental Health treatment, highlighting its increasing importance in a society where individuals are becoming more and more isolated, since “when everyone’s gone, you can fall apart”.
The idea of a collaboration with Hillside came from wanting to showcase the work that is done on an everyday basis to help people with mental health issues in the modern world. The play goes hand in hand with the reality and weight of what mental health can do to someone on a daily basis.
Hillside Clubhouse is a mental health charity that works with residents of Camden and Islington with a mental illness diagnosis to support them to achieve their goals and aspirations and to equip them to become more socially included in mainstream activity including employment, education, training and wider community/social inclusion.
Much of the work is done within the community from mental health teams. The majority of people are long-term unemployed, due to their mental ill health.
Hillside has a physical site, the Clubhouse, where they work with people around wider wellbeing, training, volunteering and skills development. The ethos is one of co-production and partnership. The work is holistic, empowering and tailored to the individual. Hillside runs a unique programme of holistic support to promote enjoyment, self-expression, self-development and self-respect. Those coproduced volunteering activities, range from art to admin, catering to creative writing, all taking place within a psychologically informed environment that considers the emotional and psychological needs of its members and support them to realise and develop their skills.
Tickets are £10 – £14 and are available here.
Please check the trigger warnings on the Camden Fringe website. This play contains: Strong language; mature themes; physical abuse; eating disorders; mental illness; suicide; partial nudity; mention of abuse; strobe lighting.
Find more information on Hillside here. If you would like to get in touch please send an email to [email protected]
Follow Hillside on Instagram: @hillside_clubhouse and ‘Black is the Colour of My Soul’ on Instagram: @bitcoms_play
