Tomorrow I was always a lion: Investigating psychosis and recovery (360G-Wellcome-201015_Z_16_Z)

Through a creative collaboration between Belarus Free Theatre (BFT), scientific consultants (including Kings College IoPPN and Institute of Neuroscience Trinity College Dublin), and clinical practitioners working with young people, BFT will create a new theatrical and digital production based on the memoir ‘A Road Back from Schizophrenia’ by Norwegian psychologist Arnhild Lauveng. By bringing together contributors from across disciplines into the creative team, the project aims to advance understanding and examine a range of different questions raised by the memoir, including (i) the nature of "recovery" from schizophrenia vs. managing and living with the condition, (ii) The factors that impact vulnerability to psychosis and recovery, (iii) The interplay between genetic factors and environmental conditions in the manifestation of psychosis, (iv) Social and cultural explanations and interpretations of disease and how they affect stigma. Contributions from scientific contributors will be incorporated into the production. Through collaboration with Young Minds (NGO partner) and performance runs in The Albany Theatre (London), Kings/Falmouth University, Contact Theatre (Manchester). BFT will engage diverse audience in dialogue about the nature of mental illness, recovery, and social interpretations. Post-show workshops and discussions will continue to feed into the learnings from the project.