Drunken Chorus to Take on Mental Health in LOVE AND THEN LIGHTHOUSES at FIRST Festival

Drunken Chorus will present Love and then Lighthouses, their brand new show about 90's indie gigs, teenage angst and a boat journey through a raging storm, as part of London's FIRST Festival of Solo Performance from 27th to 29th April 2017.

The theatre company have also collaborated with Greenwich & Lewisham Young People's Theatre to mentor 5 young female artists to create new short pieces of theatre - all related to themes of mental health and identity, which will be performed alongside Love and then Lighthouses over three nights at FIRST Festival, at Tristan Bates Theatre in the West End.

Love and then Lighthouses is a semi-autobiographical performance, using imagined stories, fantasy indie gigs and singing fish, to tell the allegorical tale of a little boat who is thrown off course by a storm. Filled with despair, the boat doesn't know which way to turn and faces the very real possibility of her own demise.

Drunken Chorus hope that the show will encourage people to find their own way of exploring and talking about mental health issues - both their own and those of others. Both heavily metaphorical, yet deeply personal, Love and then Lighthouses explores the fine balance of life's ups and downs, and the turbulent waters of adolescence. Music, specifically that of Pulp and Jarvis Cocker, and of 90s indie in general, plays a major part in the show, portraying the therapeutic role that music can often play for young people with feelings of isolation and of struggling to find their place in the world.

It is a show full of disco lights, smoke machines and beacons in the darkness - a DIY guidebook for a teenage journey through the pitch black Yorkshire night.

The show is the creation of Drunken Chorus directors Chris Williams (who directs the piece) and Sheena Holliday (performer and writer). The pair are also the producers behind London's acclaimed DRUNKEN NIGHTS programme - a unique series of live performance events and development opportunities for artists creating work for pubs. (More information at www.drunkennightsblog.wordpress.com).

Each night the show will be accompanied by short pieces from 5 young female artists from Greenwich & Lewisham Young People's Theatre (see notes for line-up). Over the past few months Drunken Chorus have been mentoring these young performers, as part of GLYPT's Progression programme - an Arts Council England funded project that helps creative young people and emerging artists to find career routes in the arts. The five short pieces all explore mental health issues, in relation to disability, race, anxiety, social pressures, eating disorders and social media / online video platforms.

SCHEDULE:

Thursday 27th April, from 8pmMiranda Prag: Desdemona the Dog GroomerA show about identity, authenticity and the murky area between the two. And bees. And possibly dogs - if there's time.Holly Clark: For Those Who Missed It The First Time

Exploring the stresses and anxiety that stem from being pushed to follow expected pathways through education, careers and life.

Friday 28th April, from 8pmHazel Bracken: What I See Is Killing MeAn exploration of Body Dysmorphic Disorder, in the form of an absurd, self-help, YouTube-inspired, TV makeover show.Caldonia Walton: Noise Control

A young woman struggles to control the endless chatter in her head. It disrupts her space and affects her body, as she searches for the next quick fix.

Saturday 29th April, from 8pmKoko Brown: GREY

An exploration of depression within the black community, using spoken-word and live vocal looping.

The shows will take place at 8pm each evening from 27 - 29 April 2017 at Tristan Bates theatre. Tickets are £12 (Concession: £10) and can be purchased from www.tristanbatestheatre.co.uk/whats-on/love-and-then-lighthouses or over the phone: 020 3841 6611. FIRST Festival runs from 11 to 29 April at Tristan Bates Theatre in London's West End. For full programme and ticket information, visit www.tristanbates.co.uk or call 020 3841 6611.

Drunken Chorus is a contemporary performance company based in London. Under the direction of Chris Williams and Sheena Holliday, the company creates a range of theatre shows and events in London, around the UK and abroad. Whilst the company's work often changes dramatically from one project to the next, it has at its core a strong visual style. The work often plays with theatrical landscapes through text, soundscapes and movement sequences. Drunken Chorus are constantly seeking to explore new ground, to find new ways of making work - from text-based comedy, to a wordless horror performance - nothing is ever off the table!

Greenwich & Lewisham Young People's Theatre (GLYPT) has been creating high-quality theatre for and with young people aged 2-30 for over 40 years.The company's Progression programme is supported by Arts Council England and Keolis Amey Docklands and provides projects and development support for creative young people (16-30) as well as young, emerging and established artists. Visit www.glypt.co.uk/progression, or follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/GLYPTpage and Twitter: @GLYPTatTramshed / #ItsAllInYourHead.

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