Mind in Berkshire partners with The Watermill Theatre, Newbury to promote conversations about mental health in young people
Mind in Berkshire has worked with The Watermill Theatre’s Youth Ensemble on their production of A Monster Calls, adapted from the best-selling young adult novel by Patrick Ness.
A poignant tale about finding the courage to survive, A Monster Calls explores the complex themes of grief, maternal sickness and bullying from the perspective of a young child. To support the young company in exploring these themes through the rehearsal process, and to promote broader conversations around mental health, The Watermill Theatre and Mind in Berkshire joined forces.
Louis Headley, Engagement and Development Lead at Mind in Berkshire, says: ‘We are very excited to be working with The Watermill Ensemble. The story, A Monster Calls, discusses difficult topics and through this production, young people are opening opportunities for more conversations. It’s an exciting time for our charity and we look forward to continuing our work with The Watermill’.
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“young people are opening opportunities for more conversations”
Louis Headley
Angharad Arnott Phillips, director of A Monster Calls said: ‘We chose to present A Monster Calls as our Watermill Youth Ensemble show after talking to young people about what issues they find most important today, and they said mental health and wellbeing, which this play tackles brilliantly. Our partnership with Mind in Berkshire has allowed us to shine a light on these issues and to talk constructively about these difficult conversations. We are hopeful that our partnership is one that will continue to develop in the future.’
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“Our partnership with Mind in Berkshire has allowed us to shine a light on these issues”
Angharad Arnott Phillips
If you would like to work with Mind in Berkshire in the future or you are interested in the topics discussed in this article, please get in touch.