Die or Run
The project explores patterns of worry, social anxiety and panic, current and inherited political policy in a provocative performance to stimulate debate on the impact social policy can have on mental health
Glen Neath and Hannah Ringham's project focussed on personal experiences of anxiety disorders and was interested in how this might play out with a political dimension.
In the interest of their research, the team attended an Arts in mind innovation event at King's and made contact with Dr Colette Hirsch, whose work looks at generalised anxiety disorder and social anxiety.
The subsequent project, DIE OR RUN: policy, anxiety and stigma, comprised of a short performance that juxtaposed 'political speak' and an experience of actual anxiety to explore worry, social anxiety and panic, and current and inherited political policy. The very act of presenting the piece in front of an audience asked questions about the stigma surrounding issues of mental health and a discussion followed the presentation.
In the long run, the project team are hoping that the Arts in mind event will lead to a full-length theatrical performance.
Project event
DIE OR RUN: policy, anxiety and stigma - a short 15 minute performance and discussion
Wednesday 25 October 2017, Wolfson Lecture Theatre
Project film
Project team
Dr Colette Hirsch - Academic partner
Colette is a clinical psychologist who is known for her research and clinical work on thinking habits that maintain emotional problems. Her work has led to new interventions and advances in our understanding of how thinking habits and cognitive processes combine to maintain distress. While this work initially focused on social anxiety disorder, her group went on to examine this within the context of pathological worry and Generalised Anxiety Disorder. Other recent research has focused on thinking habits that maintain distress in people with physical health problems such as chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s and those who have survived treatment of cancer.
Hannah Ringham - Cultural partner and co-creator
Hannah is a co-founder of the award winning theatre collective SHUNT, an independent theatre maker and performer as well as a teacher. She has performed in and co-devised all SHUNT shows including: 'The Boy who climbed out of his face', ‘Tropicana’ and ‘Dance Bear Dance.’ She has curated and managed live arts events for the ‘The Shunt Lounge’ a platform project for artists and new work. Awards for SHUNT include The Peter Brook Empty Space Award, The Time Out Live Award and The Total Theatre Award.
Hannah's work as an independent theatre maker includes collaborations with contemporary artists Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin (making film together with live performance), The Bartlett School of Architecture (exploring scanning machines and performance). She created ‘Free Show (bring money)’ with Glen Neath which toured nationally as well as ‘Wedding’ in collaboration with Shoreditch Town Hall. Hannah created and toured ‘Hello Oxford’ an Oxford Playhouse Plays Out commission, and is developing a new performance, ‘I WANT LOVE’, with choreographer Gary Clarke, composers Ben & Max Ringham and dramaturg Lou Cope.
As a performer, Hannah Ringham’s credits also include ‘England’ a two hander award winning play by Tim Crouch which has toured internationally to places including New York, The Melbourne Arts festival and The Hong Kong festival from 2007-2014. Most recently she performed in ‘Islands’ by Caroline Horton at The Bush and on a national tour and ‘Wiretapper’ a binaural sound performance for a mobile phone app. As a teacher Hannah has worked with numerous arts organisations and institutions including: Central School of Speech and Drama, The Roundhouse, Rose Bruford College, Goldsmiths, BAC and Fourth Monkey Acting School. She has also given many workshops nationally and internationally as part of touring theatre shows and within the capacity of art related activities.
Hannah's Twitter
Glen Neath - Cultural partner and co-creator.
Glen is a writer and theatre-maker. Projects include ‘Free Show (bring money)’ and ‘Wedding' with Hannah Ringham as well as ‘Ring’, ‘Fiction’ and ‘Séance’, three projects with David Rosenberg that employ binaural sound and complete darkness. He has also collaborated with Ant Hampton on ‘autotheatre’ projects ‘Romcom’ and ‘Hello for Dummies,’ which have toured internationally to 14 countries (including Argentina, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the US). He has written five plays for Radio 4, published two novels and exhibited artworks in the UK and abroad.
As a teacher Glen has worked at Central School of Speech and Drama, Royal Holloway University, NYU Tisch and is an Associate Lecturer at Wimbledon College of Art.
Glen's Twitter
DIE OR RUN: policy, anxiety and stigma is a collaboration between King’s College London’s Department of Psychology, Hannah Ringham and Glen Neath. It was supported by the university's Culture team.