Immerse yourself in three captivating plays that illuminate a historically overlooked area of women’s health. These newly commissioned audio plays by Courtney Conrad, Bryony Kimmings and Sara Shaarawi break the pervasive culture of silence around maternal mental health and probe vital questions about women’s experiences.

The project draws on groundbreaking new research led by Professor Hilary Marland, with Dr Kelly Couzens and Dr Fabiola Creed, and is informed by a variety of historical sources, including first hand testimonies from and by women in twentieth-century Britain.

MI DI ONCE BAWL FI DI BELLY WEH MI WAH DASH WEH NOW by COURTNEY CONRAD
Performed by Courtney Conrad

LORE by BRYONY KIMMINGS
Performed by Bryony Kimmings

SHE SUFFERS by SARA SHAARAWI
Performed by Alex Lowe, Jodie Mitchell, Hiftu Quasem, Victoria Moseley and Emily Stott

Produced by Fuel. Funded by the Wellcome Trust and Warwick University.

Content warning: these audio plays discuss distressing subjects, including postnatal mental illness, infanticide and death. We recommend that they are suitable for ages 16+.

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Immerse yourself in an installation that illuminates a historically overlooked area of women’s health. Brought together by Alison Neighbour’s captivating design, the piece contains three audio plays written by Courtney Conrad, Bryony Kimmings and Sara Shaarawi that break the pervasive culture of silence around maternal mental health.

The project draws on groundbreaking research led by Professor Hilary Marland, with Dr Kelly Couzens and Dr Fabiola Creed, and is informed by a variety of historical sources, including first hand testimonies from and by women in twentieth-century Britain. The Last Taboo of Motherhood? probes vital questions about women’s experiences

The installation is available to experience for free during the opening hours of the venues listed below.

Produced by Fuel. Funded by the Wellcome Trust and Warwick University.

Talk: Exploring The Last Taboo of Motherhood? 25th January, 6-7.30pm, Glasgow Women’s Library

To accompany this new work, we’re delighted to present a talk with the creative and academic team behind the installation.

Come along to find out about the story of the research at the centre of this project and gain an insight into how artists create engaging and meaningful work from historical material. You’ll hear from the creative and research teams behind the installation and have the chance to ask questions.

The Midnight Run is a walking, arts-filled, night-time cultural journey through urban spaces. It gathers strangers and local artists together to explore, play and create, whilst the city sleeps. The Midnight Run aims to break down social barriers and provide a platform for established and emerging creatives, bringing moments of genuine interactive creativity. Past MNRunners have enjoyed a spectrum of activities including life-drawing, choral singing, puppetry, wrestling, cocktail making and tai chi, all whilst exploring a city as a group. The Midnight Run was established by Inua Ellams in 2005, since then, there have been 48 events nationally and internationally. 

This special Midnight Run will take you on an adventure to celebrate the City of London’s 21st century revival of London’s ancient Bartholomew Fair, exploring nocturnal life of the Square Mile, The City of London.

The route will journey past iconic City buildings as well as lesser-known nooks and crannies of the Square Mile as we celebrate a return to cultural activity. Come ready to explore, play and create. The Run will be facilitated by Midnight Run Founder, Inua Ellams and two of his long-standing MNR collaborators, Vicky Wright and Kit Caless, all being joined by other local artists.

Midnight Run has been commissioned by the City of London Corporation for Bartholomew Fair, a three-week extravaganza of performances and cultural events across the Square Mile. The 2023 reimagining of iconic Bartholomew Fair brings a modern twist to the historic fair in a celebration of the City of London’s heritage and contemporary culture. It is part of the City of London’s Destination City programme which sets out a vision for the Square Mile to become a world-leading leisure destination for UK and international visitors, workers, and residents to enjoy.

Produced by Fuel and The Midnight Run

“Are we afraid of getting cancelled…? We eat cancellations for breakfast!”

Meet Carleen and Crystal. Two best friends with a lot to say, and a growing online following. Until their latest post sees them go too far…

The new social media platform, FLIP! offers them a second chance. Superstardom, influence, money: it’s all just a click away. FLIP! is the answer to everything they’ve ever dreamed of. But at what cost?

This sharp satire from acclaimed writer Racheal Ofori, directed by Emily Aboud asks how we can live our best authentic lives in a world of algorithms intent on proving just how disposable we all are…

Produced in association with Alphabetti. Co-commissioned by Fuel and Soho Theatre, as part of Soho Six. Supported by the Cockayne Foundation – Grants for the Arts and The London Community Foundation, Arts Council England, Fenton Arts Trust, the Noel Coward Foundation, and the Leche Trust.

WeTransfer presents

If I lose half my sight, will my vision be halved?

BLUE was Derek Jarman’s final film. Completed in May 1993, just months before his death, it is his testament. For 74 minutes, an unchanging screen of celestial blue is accompanied by voices which deliver a collage of fragments from Jarman’s diary, describing the gradual onset of blindness as he battles with HIV. As his daily life is stripped away, only the essentials remain.

For this very special live screening, a cast of four actors including Russell Tovey (American Horror Story, Angels in America), writer and theatre-maker Travis Alabanza (Sound of the Underground, Burgerz), artist Jay Bernard (Surge: Side A) and award-winning poet Joelle Taylor (C+nto and othered poems) will deliver Jarman’s powerful words, directed by Neil Bartlett; the film’s original composer, Simon Fisher Turner, will accompany them with a new live score.

BLUE was created during the darkest days of the British AIDS epidemic, and bears witness not just to its creator’s remarkable courage but also to the rage and loss of an entire generation. Thirty years to the month after it was completed, this new live rendition of the film will be a chance to hear afresh its inspiring message of compassion, love and dignity under fire.

BLUE NOW
in association with Fuel and Basilisk Communications
A film by Derek Jarman, performed live
Live event commissioned by WePresent by WeTransfer
Directed by Neil Bartlett
Performed by Russell Tovey, Travis Alabanza, Jay Bernard, and Joelle Taylor
Sound by Simon Fisher Turner
Production Management by Andy Downie
Produced by Fuel

Click here to head to WePresent’s website

What secrets would you tell a complete stranger?

When All Is Said is a collection of 5 short plays, written by five Black trans people, in their own voices, delivered over the phone. Curated by Travis Alabanza and directed by Emily Aboud and Leian John-Baptiste, When All Is Said offers you the opportunity to sit back and listen, as these worlds and journeys are brought to life.

A long taxi ride becomes a winding long journey into the past and the histories that shape us… a phone call conversation opens up a powerful set of revelations about incarceration and the criminal justice system… a university campus becomes a breeding ground for anti-trans hostility… the child of enslaved parents asks what freedom can really look like… A Black trans man embraces his queer manhood by challenging his own toxic masculinity. Contained within these new stories by Travis Alabanza, Felix Mufti-Wright, Octavia Nyombi, Ebun Sodipo and Campbell X, are secrets – and you’re invited to listen.

When All Is Said is the latest work curated by award-winning theatre maker Travis Alabanza. The five plays, written by five black trans writers, have been written to be performed down the telephone, to audiences at home, at work, or wherever they may be.