Hello!
If you enjoy reading these articles, please consider supporting me by donating to Crowdfundr to adapt my stage play, The Life and Soul, into a graphic novel.
Why Donate?
My play, The Life and Soul, and its sister piece, The Parting Glass, were commissioned by Red Ladder Theatre company and dealt with the issue of male suicide. Both productions toured to non-traditional theatre spaces such as community centres, pubs and working men’s clubs. Illustrator Tony Pickering and I want to continue this work and bring the story to new audiences. Here is some of the feedback from the production:
Why a Graphic Novel?
This production resonated with people and helped to raise awareness of the issue of suicide among communities, giving a voice to those suffering. We paired each production with a Q&A with a Community Mental Health Service Manager from the NHS to provide a safe space for people to discuss the topics raised. These were very moving and powerful.
However, theatre is ephemeral in nature. Once it is over and the tour is finished, you cannot revisit it – live theatre exists only when it is performed. This is, in part, its beauty and power. It is real and in front of your eyes, not enclosed by a screen with the ability to pause and go to the toilet.
In contrast, a graphic novel lasts forever. It can be read anywhere, revisited at any time and lent to people who would also enjoy it. Telling this story in a new medium will allow it to potentially reach far more people. And in place of the Q&A, we will create a graphic appendix with some tools people can use.
Sadly, the issue of suicide still needs tackling. It remains the number one cause of death for men under 50, and the rate for young women under 24 has seen the steepest increase since records began.
There are a lot of campaigns out there tackling this issue. However, a graphic novel can also help in a different way. Graphic novels saw record sales exceeding the £50m mark for the first time (£53.2m) in 2022, and 28.7 per cent of young people read graphic novels in 2023. Furthermore, many healthcare professionals believe that comics and graphic novels can help combat mental health issues.
If this resonates with you, then please help us make it a reality – every little really does help!
Thank you to all who have supported us already!
You can support here:
https://crowdfundr.com/thelifeandsoul
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