Sightlines Festival of Performance and Wellbeing Launches This Week

Sightlines is a two week online festival, exploring the conversation surrounding the relationship between performance and wellbeing, inspired by the thoughts and experiences of the many artists involved. The first edition will take place from the 13th-25th of July 2021, with 24 varied events including performances, workshops, talks and panels focused on the subject of mental health and wellbeing in its many forms.

They have workshops aimed at performers and directors including a Verbatim Bootcamp exploring the responsibility that comes with making socially engaged work, run by award winning LUNG Theatre. Creating Held Spaces in Rehearsal Rooms by director Sammy Glover and Wellbeing and Creative Practice by performer and choreographer Lauren Steele.

Workshops on exploring one's personal experience through different performance mediums. Comedy for Coping run by award-winning stand up comic, writer and mental health campaigner, Dave Chawner. A Mental Health Storytelling Workshop by Real Talk. The Chrysalis, a workshop using techniques from the Theatre of the Oppressed by Reboot the Roots.And a Gender Exploration Workshop from Andro and Eve.

From engagement theatre companies they have two workshops aimed on connecting people through performance BAC Beatbox Academy and PsycheDelight's Together Workshop.

Panel discussions will get deeper into specific aspects of the performance and wellbeing conversation:

- Navigating White Spaces

- Adapting Performance Engagement to Zoom

- Neurodiversity and Performance

- Edinburgh Fringe and Performer Wellbeing

- Creating Performance out of Mental Health Experiences

They will host discussions on the value of specific types of performance including What is the Theatre of the Oppressed? And interview with practitioner Birgit Fritz. And Twitch: Community through Comedy During Lockdown a fun and informal conversation between comedians Bilal Zafar and Ken Cheng.

There are online performances exploring personal experiences: Can I Touch Your Hair? By Lekhani Chirwa, exploring ideas around cultural identity and pride, will be screened followed by a Q&A. Michael Hajiantonis's play about his time in an NHS psychiatric ward, Going Slightly Mad will be screened followed by a Q&A. They will share work in progress performance of actor, vocal artist, composer and writer Aminita Francis's I-Loop.

They also have Change the Word: Around the Table a collective poetry show from Good Chance Theatre created during lockdown on the theme of Welcome. And a launch event for the Kything Podcast by Real Talk, bringing together the stories of their participants.

There will be three cabaret style performances, bringing together different artists around the theme of wellbeing. Men on the Mind is a drag king show brought together by their guest curator Emily Aboud. Their mid-festival comedy night, Ceremony of Wherever You're At, will be hosted by clown Lucy Hopkins who will experiment with how online spaces and comedy spaces can subvert the norm and encourage presence, warmth and acceptance. Finally the Sightlines Closing Party will feature musicians and poets connected to the festival whose work resonates with the theme of mental health and wellbeing, and allow us to joyfully gather at the end of two weeks of participation and exploration.

For more information visit: https://www.facebook.com/SightlinesFest/?fref=tag

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