THE POSSIBILITY OF COLOUR Will Be Premiered On Tour This Autumn

A powerful new play which asks questions about what is 'normal' - and who gets to decide - is touring to venues across the north this autumn.

The Possibility of Colour, from the acclaimed Tree Fish Productions, is an immersive and moving insight into the reality of voice hearing, synaesthesia, neurodiversity and forced treatment, and has been created over several years in collaboration with mental health professionals, academics and those who have lived experience of the themes it explores.

The production, from award-winning writer and director Pete Carruthers, will be staged at theatre spaces in Salford, Preston and Ormskirk during November, as well as being broadcast online with a live Q&A session.

And along with the public performances, special sold-out shows for up to 1,350 student nurses will also be held at each venue, funded by Health Education England and forming part of the students' official training.

Following each performance, audience members will be able to take part in a Q&A with a panel including leading mental health experts and people with lived experience of the play's themes.

These important discussions will continue to take place as part of a larger national tour being planned for autumn 2023 and spring 2024.

Designed by the AI-controlled 'Vigil' Corporation, the Implant is a new miracle device that promises to cure all mental illness.

For many, the Implant is an irresistible guarantee of eternal happiness; a life without suffering. For others though, it's a terrifying instrument of control, stripping them of what it means to be human, and increasingly forced upon a growing number of 'compulsory recipients'.

Will Joseph, his sister Aisling, or his best friend Helen, be able to decide which of them, if any, should have the implant? And with the ever-looming presence of Vigil, do they even have a choice?

The production is written, produced and directed by Tree Fish founder and artistic director Pete Carruthers with set and costume design by Carly Altberg, lighting design by Isabel Potter and Carly Altberg, video and projection design by Ed Grimoldby, and original music and sound design is by Patch Middleton. Ally Davies is creative producer.

Its cast includes Pete Carruthers as Joseph, Rachel Marwood as Aisling, Amy Revelle as Helen, Verity Henry as Vigil, Gareth Cassidy as Lucas, Chloe Proctor as Mollie and Orla Mullan as Woman.

Tree Fish Productions is a theatre and film production company based in the north of England which creates high quality work with a mission to inspire greater understanding, empathy and compassion while contributing towards real social change.

The company is passionate about creating work which speaks to people from all corners of society, with a specific focus on reaching those who are in a position to bring about change, from changes in personal professional practice to wider social reforms.

And along with creating independent work, it also collaborates with health and education providers to create powerful, empathic and truthful stories that bring training to life.

Writer and director Pete Carruthers of Tree Fish Productions says: "The play opens up vital conversations about the ways in which we treat people who are deemed by society to be 'abnormal' or 'mentally ill.

"It aims to improve understanding and empathy for others, but also to provoke discussion, reflection, and even policy change, in the long run. We don't just want to entertain and inform, but also to challenge and inspire the audience."

To find out more and to book tickets, visit https://www.treefishproductions.com/

Tour Dates

THE NEW ADELPHI THEATRE, UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD

Thursday 17 - Friday, 18 November 2022 at 7pm

University Road, Salford, M5 4BR

Website: https://www.newadelphitheatre.co.uk/

Box Office: 0161 295 2533

THE MEDIA FACTORY, UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL LANCASHIRE

Wednesday 23 November at 7pm and Thursday, 24 November at 2pm and 7pm

Kirkham Street, Preston, PR1 1JN

Box Office: 07857 405681

THE ROSE THEATRE, EDGE HILL UNIVERSITY

Tuesday 29 November 2022 at 7pm

St Helens Road, Ormskirk, L39 4QP

Website: https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/departments/support/artscentre/whats-on/

Box Office: 01695 584480

ONLINE - RECORDED PERFORMANCE PLUS LIVE Q&A

Thursday 1 December - Friday 2 December 2022 at 7pm

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