Posted on: 19 October 2021
On Thursday 14 October, The Playground Theatre played host to Well Written – Bridges to the Future; a public performance of stories and poems written by service users of CNWL.
The event was co-presented by The Playground Theatre and One Community – a service-user led movement dedicated to empowering people with mental health conditions, working with community partners and creating lifelong opportunities through activities like poetry writing, play reading, beauty self-care and gardening. Members of One Community’s Well Written Group performed a collection of pieces themed around ‘connections formed during lockdown’ and ‘looking to the future’.
Well Written began as a partnership between One Community, Evvy Miller, Professional Actor, Anthony Biggs, Artistic Director of the Playground Theatre, and Stewart Permutt, Playwright and Actor, who himself has lived experience of mental health. The team lead a group of past-and-present service users at St Charles Hospital as writing tutors, setting a variety of writing prompts, exercises and word plays. Thursday’s performance was a culmination of what One Community’s writers have been working on since the third season began in September 2020.
Bridges to the Future was co-facilitated by Cate Latto, One Community Founder, and Evelyn Miller, who also directed. The performers provided an afternoon of pure joy, reading their work with confidence and courage. Several audience and crew members were left in tears following the performances. For many, this was the first time meeting their fellow members in person so it was a powerful and moving experience being in a theatre together.
Laura Cavill, One Community’s Poet Laureate, performed a piece of her own writing. She said: "from those on the wards to those now living independently, we share the joy and the empathy and we feel the connections that none can know... until they experience it – the feelings we share and the way we do it is what One Community’s about."
Playwright and actor, Polly Wiseman, tweeted: “wonderful afternoon hearing the brilliantly-crafted poems of One Community’s Well Written Group! This amazing community of creative folk show how mental health support should be. Their performances blew the audience and the Mayor away! Congratulations to Cate Latto and crew.”
Gerard Hargreaves, The Worshipful Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, also attended and led a standing ovation for the performance. The Mayor tweeted: “An amazing performance of music and poetry yesterday. One Community is dedicated to empowering people with mental health conditions to lead a lifetime of opportunities.”
After the event, Cate Latto said: “this latest Well Written journey started in September 2020. Through these amazing connections with Evvy and The Playground Theatre, our band of writers, both old and new, met each week across our wards, many attending virtually as well. Seeing the mutual support, encouragement and sheer talent of our writers was quite magical. This creative community was a beacon of light, solace and joy during last year’s bleak winter lockdown. It was genuinely the highlight of people’s weeks, whether they were in hospital or home.”
CNWL thanks Evvy for her dedication and skill, Anthony Biggs and Paul O’Mahony from the Playground Theatre, Jon Fryer from Kensington & Chelsea Foundation, and RBKC Arts for enabling our weekly sessions.
Cate ended with: “Thank you to all our amazing members who made today so special. As ever, One Community really, really Rocks!"
The One Community Crew outside The Playground Theatre
