Write Your Mind - Youth mental Health Theatre Project

Jigsaw Offaly in collaboration with Offaly Youth Theatre are launching a Youth Theatre Project to highlight Youth Mental Health through the Arts.

They invite writers to submit stories or theatrical monologues on the topic of living with mental health issues.

It could be a character’s account of their experience of mental health issues, for example; coping with
anxiety, depression, bullying, self-harm, loneliness, relationship difficulties or eating disorders to
mention but a few of the challenges that some young people may face on a daily basis. The
stories/ monologues should feature issues that may affect a young person in the 12 - 25 age category and will be performed by young actors in this age range.

Selected accounts will then form the basis of a theatre project.

Playwright Eugene O’ Brien (Eden/Pure Mule/Red Rock) will lead a collaborative process with young actors from Offaly Youth Theatre (OYT) and young people from Jigsaw’s Youth Advisory Panel (YAP) in the adaption/editing of a selection of these accounts into dramatic monologues. The end product will be staged in Birr and Tullamore, filmed for YouTube and recorded for radio, over a 12 month process.

This will act as an awareness exercise on the topics presented, giving an insight into the reality of Youth Mental Health in contemporary Ireland.

Written accounts can be emailed to offaly@jigsaw.ie or posted to Jigsaw Offaly, 1 Cormac Street,
Tullamore, Co. Offaly marked Theatre Project. Typed accounts are preferred and can be from 1-5 A4
pages in length. Jigsaw wish to put the emphasis on stories which will inspire young people to
overcome difficult times.

Deadline: 1 p.m. on Friday July 30th 2015

See www.jigsaw.ie/offaly or www.facebook.com/jigsawoffaly for project updates