Shropshire team take Black Dog play to Edinburgh Fringe
A Shropshire playwright has taken his story of hope in the face of the despair to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Black Dog, from Spike Rose Productions, opened at the festival this weekend.
Author and director, Shaun Higgins, Francesca Williams and Liza Ashby, with Katie Bird providing technical support, say there show about mental health is not all sadness.
Fusing together theatre, belly dance and music, Black Dog tells a story of hope in the face of despair, and the importance of second chances. The team are all heavily involved in the local theatrical scene, being members of the Attfield Theatre, Llanymynech Amateur Dramatics Society and several other creative groups.
Shaunsaid: "This is a really exciting project to be involved with, bringing to the stage a theme which is close to our hearts. Having personally suffered from depression for some time, I feel that it’s important to connect both with those who have experienced something similar, and those who haven’t – if we can shed a little light on a dark subject, then we might just be helping someone who would otherwise be suffering alone.
"While it might not sound like a laugh-a-minute story, it's a common misconception that people classed as ‘depressed’ are miserable all of the time. On the contrary, many who suffer with mental health illness will agree that they can feel love, hope, joy, just as strongly as anyone else.
"It’s just that sometimes their minds take unpredictable swings into darkness too. We’ve managed to incorporate this into Black Dog – it’s got humour, energy and vitality written into it, and the music and dance also bring colour and momentum to the story, making it a fully-rounded show."
The show had its first outing earlier this year at the Attfield Theatre in Oswestry.
