JOY UNSPEAKABLE Will Embark on a Tour of Northern Venues This Autumn

Brand new show Joy Unspeakable from theatre company Ordinary Glory is bringing real-life eating disorder stories to the stage for the first time in a tour of Northern venues this Autumn.

The show uses physical theatre, live music and verbatim text to dynamically present the true testimonies of four women, each with a different eating disorder and each at a different stage of recovery.

Performed by Tasha Dowd, Kate Benfield, Erin Rydall and Rachel Hammond, the show premieres at The Edge Chorlton on 6th & 7th September, before heading to Turnpike Gallery on 11th September, The Met Bury on 27th September, Pendleton Sixth Form College on 2nd October and Octagon Theatre in Bolton on 5th October.

Joy Unspeakable is the debut show of Greater-Manchester-based theatre company Ordinary Glory, created by Artistic Director Amy Hailwood (credits include shows at Octagon Theatre, The Royal Exchange Theatre, The Lowry, Streetwise Opera and more), whose own experience with bulimia in her teen years inspired the show.

It was developed with experts by lived experience, through research and conversations with Dr Troscianko (affiliated with the Oxford Research Centre) and professors at King's College's Eating Disorders Unit. Wraparound community activities such as workshops and self-care packs have been developed in collaboration with local people with lived experience of mental health issues, who were recruited from Bolton-based organisations Headspace, BAND, MhIST, 1Point, Bolton at Home and Bolton Social Prescribing Network.

Director Amy Hailwood suffered from bulimia in her late teens and early twenties, but has subsequently recovered. Feeling that cultural representation of eating disorders was limited and conversations around the topic still largely taboo, Hailwood wanted to create a show that busts myths about disordered eating, reflects the diversity of the experience, offers a support network and demonstrates that recovery is possible.

Starting four years ago, she invited three other women to be interviewed about their eating disorders. With each story offering an account of one of the four main eating disorders, Hailwood recorded their testimonies and - armed with almost a decade of experience as a theatre director and drama facilitator - she created the show.

Hailwood said: "Nearly a million women and girls in the UK have an eating disorder and since Covid, referral numbers have been skyrocketing. Yet understanding and cultural representation of this aspect of mental health feels some way behind other areas of the mental health conversation. As an artist with lived experience of eating disorder recovery, I was inspired to create Joy Unspeakable to open this conversation up and inspire others with hope that change is possible."

Research from leading eating disorder charity BEAT estimates that 1.25 million people in the UK have an eating disorder, with many more undisclosed cases and people affected.

Locally, Wigan & Bolton's Young People's Community Eating Disorder Service has experienced a significant referral increase in recent years, seeing a 496% increase from 2019/20 to 2021/22 and a 101% increase from 2020/21 to 2021/22, part of a national trend post-Covid.

With most eating disorders reported to develop during adolescence (the average onset age being 16-17 years old) and treatment proven to be far more effective when received in the first three years of illness, it was vital to the theatre company to connect with young people.

Alongside their performance in Pendleton Sixth Form College, Ordinary Glory's Engagement Lead has been working with local universities and colleges to offer free tickets to see the show for 16-25 year olds, as well as bespoke pre and post show workshops to help them receive the work in a supported way. At each venue there will be a post-show conversation with mental health professionals, creatives and others, and a post-show creative workshop for anyone interested in exploring the theme of self-care using creative tools.

Consulting partner Dr Emily Troscianko (affiliated with the Oxford Research Centre) said: "I worked with the Ordinary Glory team in an advisory capacity over the four years in which they developed Joy Unspeakable-where "advising" mostly meant bouncing very interesting ideas around together. Drawing on humour and many other sensitive artistic and stylistic choices, Ordinary Glory have danced their way through this creatively exciting minefield with persistence, with courage, and with clarity of vision. I imagine the resulting performances will be quite remarkable to behold."

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