Let's Talk About Philip
When 30 years of family silence is broken, Helen begins a detective-like quest to discover the hidden story behind her brother’s suicide. As surprising details are uncovered, Helen grapples with loyalty, long-held beliefs and how much we ever really know about those we love.
Written and performed by Helen Wood and Gregor Hunt.
A fast-paced, candid, darkly comic and gripping play about coming to terms with bereavement by suicide. Performance will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A, including the performers, and Darius Smith and Karen Lascelles.
Directed by 2022 Olivier Award nominee
Derek Bond.
‘
Beautifully constructed, utterly engaging.
’
***** The Wee Review
‘Excellent … poignant, surprisingly funny … a potent piece of theatre.’
**** Everything Theatre
Location of Event: North Wall Theatre, Oxford
Charge: £12 - £16
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Additional Equipment Required: No
Helen Wood is a writer and performer who mostly performs comedy and in particular solo comedy shows. She has created and toured three shows on the subjects of: personality types, O.S. maps and the National Trust. She is currently writing a show about foraging which she plans to tour in 2024. Despite the subject matter, Helen’s comedy background means that Let’s Talk About Philip includes a lot of humour and is delivered with a light touch.
Karen is a mental health nurse with 30 years' experience. She has specialised in the field of suicide and self-harm for the last 15 years and has a particular interest in the experiences and needs of family members and friends who are supporting someone they consider to be at risk of suicide. This is the topic of her doctoral study. Additional research interests include the
impact of suicide on mental health staff, repeated exposure to suicidality and suicide amongst nurses.
Darius ‘Victoryforu’ Smith is a fashion creative, dancer, writer, content creator and award-winning campaigner. He is also the Youth-Led Content Creator at Oxfordshire Youth. His creativity is rooted in the authenticity of his Christian faith. He is an advocate for suicide prevention, body positivity, domestic abuse education, and mental health. Being a sexual assault survivor himself, he uses his platform to cultivate permission to have openness and safe conversation. He shares openly about his battles with mental health, eating disorders, suicide and bullying through his social media platforms. He has even created a video with the support of suicide prevention charity,
Papyrus UK. Being a black man living in the UK, there is a lot of stigma that exists around those identities especially in relation to mental health and suicide. Darius wants break that stigma to
show that anyone can go through it and anyone can reach out for help.
https://victoryforu.co.uk/
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