New show Joy Unspeakable from theatre company Ordinary Glory is bringing real-life eating disorder stories to the stage for the first time in a tour of Northern venues this autumn.
The all-female show uses physical theatre, live music and verbatim text to offer the stories of four women (played by Kate Benfield, Tasha Dowd, Rachel Hammond and Erin Rydal), each with a different eating disorder and each at a different stage of recovery.
The show premieres this week at The Edge, Chorlton (September 6-7), then plays the Turnpike Gallery in WIgan (September 11), The Met, Bury (September 27), Pendleton Sixth Form College (October 2) and Bolton Octagon (October 5).
Joy Unspeakable is Greater-Manchester-based theatre company Ordinary Glory’s debut show, created by artistic director Amy Hailwood, whose experience with bulimia in her teens inspired the show, with the help of researchers at Oxford Research Centre and the King's College Eating Disorders Unit.
As well as the play, the project has included the development of workshops, information packs and other community activities for people with their own experience of mental health issues.
Amy, who has worked at Bolton Octagon, Manchester's Royal Exchange, The Lowry and other theatres, suffered from bulimia in her late teens and early twenties, and realised after her recovery that discussion of eating disorders is limited. She wanted to create a show to open discussion of the subject and offer a support network. The project has taken four years.
She explained: “Nearly a million UK women and girls have an eating disorder and referral numbers have been skyrocketing since Covid. Representation of this aspect of mental health feels some way behind other areas, so as an artist with experience of the subject, I was inspired to create Joy Unspeakable to open up the conversation.”
Most eating disorders affect sufferers from the age of around 16-17; since treatment is best when received within the first three years of illness, Amy was keen to connect with young people.
Ordinary Glory has been working with local universities and colleges and is offering free tickets for 16 to 25-year-olds to see the show. Each venue will also feature a post-show conversation and workshop for anyone interested in knowing more.
More info and tickets here